“I can’t send you directly into that place. As I ntioned earlier, we can’t interfere with it.”
The Wizard opened a portal, revealing the vast expanse of the cosmos beyond.
“So instead, I’ll create a pathway that leads near it. You shouldn’t have much trouble finding your destination.”
“What exactly am I supposed to locate?”
“The reason Ouroboros devoured the world.”
The Wizard’s tone was serious.
“What broke the cycle’s chanism? You don’t need to be overly specific. A general understanding will suffice. Find the reason, and I’ll reward you accordingly.”
“Understood.”
Taesan’s reply was brief. Without hesitation, he stepped into the portal the Wizard had created.
What greeted his eyes was an endless universe, a vast expanse devoid of life.
To most, such an environnt would be hostile, but not to Taesan. He moved freely, unhindered by the absence of gravity or atmosphere.
It didn’t take him long to find Ouroboros.
Or rather, it wasn’t sothing he found—it was sothing that dominated his vision the mont he arrived.
[Oh.]
[That... That can’t be real...]
A low groan, laced with disbelief, ca from Bardray. His ghostly voice quivered with a mix of shock and denial.
[Is that... really it?]
There, in the vastness of space, was a serpent.
Not a taphorical serpent, nor an abstraction. It was a snake, unimaginably massive, coiled in the darkness. Its dark, obsidian-like scales shimred faintly as it occupied an incomprehensible portion of the universe.
[It has no end...]
Even Akasha, calm and rational, couldn’t suppress her astonishnt.
It was as if the snake ford a wall in space, its sheer size rendering its boundaries invisible. It seed capable of consuming galaxies, perhaps more, with ease.
The serpent’s body moved slightly, almost imperceptibly, but the motion carried an ominous weight.
[You have discovered Ouroboros.]
‘So this is the Serpent of Cycles.’
The chanism governing the cycle of all things. Its size was fitting for its role. Even Taesan, with his enhanced senses, could only grasp a fraction of its form.
[And you have to go inside that?]
[A creature of this size... Even the faintest motion would tear the universe apart.]
Bardray and Akasha contemplated the approach with unease.
Then the serpent stirred.
Its colossal body twisted slowly, deliberately, as though guided by an unseen purpose.
Both Bardray and Akasha fell silent, watching in awe.
Given its size, even the slightest motion should have unleashed devastating physical forces, ripping through the very fabric of space. Yet, nothing happened. So unseen law seed to suppress the consequences of its movents.
The serpent’s motion ceased.
And then, Taesan felt its gaze.
[Ah.]
The faint sound of a sharp inhale echoed.
Its head wasn’t visible, but there was no mistaking it—the Serpent of Cycles had noticed him.
It was watching him.
Taesan instinctively realized that if Ouroboros bore him any hostility, there would be no escape. As long as he existed in the universe, the serpent would be able to pursue him.
His body tensed, ready to deploy Boundary Line at a mont’s notice. If Ouroboros made even the slightest threatening move, he would respond imdiately.
But the serpent did nothing more.
After a long mont of observation, it shifted its massive body again, turning its gaze away from him.
[Phew!]
[What... What is that thing?]
Bardray exhaled heavily, trying to laugh off his lingering fear.
“It’s not hostile. It’s not even defensive.”
If anything, its gesture seed almost like an invitation.
“Then I’ll accept.”
[If that’s what you’ve decided.]
[As you wish, Master.]
Bardray and Akasha didn’t protest, fully entrusting themselves to Taesan’s judgnt.
He moved toward Ouroboros. The serpent remained motionless, indifferent to his approach.
Soon, he reached the serpent’s enormous form.
Its scales, dark and shimring faintly, filled his entire field of vision.
As he examined it closely, he noticed sothing unusual.
‘It’s not physical.’
From a distance, it had appeared to be a tangible entity. But up close, it was clear that its form was composed of overlapping concepts, an incomprehensible amalgamation of ideas manifesting as a serpent.
This ant entry was possible.
Gray energy enveloped Taesan’s body.
The power cloaked him entirely, isolating him from the laws of the world.
Reaching out, Taesan pressed his hand against Ouroboros.
Using the power of Boundary Line, he pierced through its conceptual form, creating a pathway.
Without resistance, he stepped inside.
What greeted him was, unexpectedly, a seemingly ordinary universe.
In the pitch-black void, stars sparkled like countless jewels scattered across the darkness.
[This... looks normal?]
“No.”
Taesan shook his head, countering Bardray’s murmured observation. At first glance, it appeared to be a typical universe. But a closer inspection revealed otherwise.
This place was fused with Ouroboros.
Every concept, every law within this space was part of the serpent. It wasn’t functioning independently; it had been subsud into Ouroboros’s nature.
It was similar to the corruption of the Old Gods, yet fundantally different. This was a deliberate harmonization, a reshaping of existence into sothing that served Ouroboros.
“Impressive scale.”
Taesan withdrew his protective barrier.
The essence of Ouroboros tried to seep into him, probing his mind and body, but it couldn’t breach his defenses.
For now, he could move freely without further preparation.
[What’s the plan now?]
“We start by investigating.”
Even Taesan couldn’t discern the exact changes caused by Ouroboros’s assimilation. His best course of action was to seek out the beings that had once existed here.
[You have activated Teleport [Negation].]
A black portal opened, swallowing him whole.
When the darkness faded, a breathtaking blue planet ca into view.
Taesan descended toward the planet, his next steps clear.
***
As Ouroboros devoured the universe, Taesan felt the traces of life on the planet before him.
It was teeming with countless living beings, but they were all warped, fused into Ouroboros, and transford.
Taesan resolved to witness their transformation firsthand.
Descending onto the planet, his eyes fell upon the largest city, with a grand castle at its center surrounded by an array of houses. Taesan landed in the central square.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“Ah ha ha ha!”
Laughter echoed from all directions. But this wasn’t laughter born of joy—it was filled with madness.
The sounds of breaking and shattering accompanied the laughter.
One man grabbed a market stall and hurled it to the ground. The stall’s owner, rather than protesting, clapped his hands in delight.
A woman of noble appearance laughed as she swung a blade recklessly, cutting down those around her. The injured bled and fell, yet none seed to care—not even the wounded themselves. They simply grinned as though nothing had happened.
“This place is a ss.”
It was reminiscent of the cities of sin described in religious texts.
Taesan grabbed a man whose face was twisted in laughter.
“I need to ask you sothing.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!”
The man didn’t respond to Taesan’s words. He continued to laugh uncontrollably.
Taesan watched him for a mont before releasing his divine energy. A golden light enveloped the man.
Fweeeeeeng!
Yet, nothing changed.
The divine energy, which restored the body and mind to their original state, had no effect on him. There were only a few possible explanations for this:
The man’s transformation through Ouroboros was beyond divine recovery.His mind had existed in this state for so long that it had beco his new normal.Both reasons were true.Taesan began walking through the city. Despite his otherworldly and distinct attire, no one paid him any attention.
As he continued his observations, he noticed sothing else.
The ones acting out in madness were only a minority.
The majority were sitting or lying down, staring blankly into space, doing nothing.
Their eyes were devoid of light. Though alive and conscious, they seed no different from the dead.
Taesan entered the castle. The guards who should have been protecting it were nowhere to be found.
He walked through the dilapidated corridors until he reached the highest point of the castle.
Behind a grand door was a throne.
Sitting on it was an old man.
The man’s face was weary as he looked at Taesan.
“...An outsider?”
His voice was thin and broken, as though even speaking took all his energy.
And this was strange.
The man before Taesan was an immortal.
Immortals were beings who never aged or decayed. Without external interference, their strength and mind remained unyielding.
Yet, the old man looked as if he had been worn down by the passage of ti.
“...It’s been a long ti since I last saw soone. A woman, I believe. Or has it not been long at all? Perhaps it was just a few days ago?”
The old man mumbled incoherently, unable to distinguish between past and present, as though gripped by dentia.
Taesan observed him silently. The man’s rambling slowed, and a faint spark of awareness returned to his eyes.
“...Forgive . It’s shaful to appear so weak before a great being.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Then... may I ask you for one thing?”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing grand.”
The old man ran a trembling hand over his face.
“Could you... kill ?”
The old man’s voice trembled with desperation.
“I’m so tired. I can’t do this anymore. Please... please, end this eternal cycle for .”
His plea was genuine. He longed for death.
“...I apologize,” the old man said, swallowing his words.
“It’s foolish of to ask. No one can grant such a thing—not even you.”
“What happened here?” Taesan asked.
“You’ll see for yourself soon enough.”
Taesan turned to look out the window at the city below.
The chaos was overwhelming. Nothing remained intact, and everything had descended into madness.
‘...Now that I think about it.’
Sothing felt off.
The people here were worn down by ti.
Their minds had shattered, their spirits broken.
It wasn’t the result of a short period. This must have been the consequence of an unimaginably long passage of ti.
And yet, the world itself was pristine.
It looked as if it had been cleaned just yesterday.
This was strange.
Fweeeeeeng!
A massive tremor rippled through the universe.
The force originated from sowhere deep within and spread outward, engulfing the planet.
Taesan instinctively activated his Chaos Barrier, shielding his body. Ouroboros’s influence tried to intrude, but the barrier rejected it.
This allowed Taesan to witness what happened next.
The dead began to rise. Blood that had spilled re-entered their veins, and broken bodies were restored to their original states, like a film rewinding.
The shattered market stall reassembled itself, returning to its previous form.
The woman who had been laughing madly while swinging her blade regained her composure, her face calm and dignified.
‘This...’
The world was resetting itself.
And Taesan recognized this sensation.
It was the sa feeling he’d experienced when he used the gastric stone to rewind ti.
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