✨ Author's Note
For those drawn to the unknown, where the edges of reality blur —
your journey doesn't end here.
Step beyond the veil and uncover what lies hidden in:
"The Eternal Martyr's Return to the World Beyond Nothingness."
Where sacrifice meets eternity, and truth beats between the pulses of the void.
.....🔥🚬🗿
....
Witnessing the human's behavior before her, the Spirit Snake felt a surge of anger, but she suppressed it. And how could she not suppress it, when that human carried her hope for healing her internal wounds? She had endured for so long; what was the harm in enduring this behavior of his?
The moonlight reflected intensely in her green eyes, and within her pupils appeared the reflection of a person wearing a black cloak torn from the marks of battle, who was covering his eyes for some reason, though she paid it no mind.
The giant snake looked at the human, then at that soldier of shadows, who stood motionless out of respect for his mistress.
The snake didn't know what made that shadow so exceedingly loyal to his master, but with her sharp intelligence, she realized that young man was not ordinary. It seemed as if there was some story behind him, but she quickly dismissed this thought, believing instead that he possessed something that tempted that soldier to follow him.
She saw that the human youth was still tossing the core up, then catching it and tossing it again. The core was now a pale blue, and the snake felt she must take it quickly and use it before it lost its healing properties.
That was because every core extracted from mutated beasts was the weakest grade among all monsters and had to be consumed swiftly after extraction—within a minute or two at most.
This was what made the snake quickly lose her composure, and she was on the verge of abandoning her self-restraint if necessary.
"Swoosh"
The cold wind blew over the mountain once more, causing Korgami's long black strands to flutter behind him as he repeatedly tossed and caught the core.
Fully aware of this Spirit Snake's intelligence and her manipulation of events, he had to be cautious. So he played with the core in his hand, hoping to anger the Spirit Snake and weaken her vigilance as much as possible.
But how did Korgami know all this while he was unconscious? Ragnar was sharing what he saw when he descended to the continent of beasts through a mental connection, transmitting signals to Korgami's mind, allowing him to see everything Ragnar had seen completely.
With his eyes covered by a torn piece of his cloak, Korgami didn't know where he was stepping or the direction of the giant snake, so Ragnar occasionally adjusted his master's direction.
"Sssss..." The snake let out a hiss before saying: "Human,what do you say we enter the cave and talk more comfortably?"
The snake suggested to Korgami that they enter her cave for a discussion, but he didn't respond.
He continued as he was for a full minute before saying: "Hmmm...Do you want to lure me into your cave, where you have the home advantage, to get rid of me?"
"What!" The snake was shocked and said: "What are you saying,human?! Didn't we agree that I would give you the core in exchange for you living inside my cave and sharing details about the continent of beasts?"
The snake replied slowly before turning and pulling her body into the cave.
Ragnar looked at his master, then at the giant snake's body crawling into the cave, and thoughts intertwined in his non-existent mind. He understood why his master was doing this, but he cared about nothing other than tending to his master, who had been injured just hours before.
"Ragnar, let's enter now. After that... you know what to do if she tries to attack us, right?!"
Korgami laughed, and his features shifted to a demonic expression. He had seen the snake turn around thanks to Ragnar, but he was pointing his hand in the wrong direction.
"I understand, Master, but I believe you are pointing in the wrong direction!"
Ragnar's words were saturated with loyalty, but the tone of his last words showed some embarrassment for Korgami.
"Ah, understood."
Hearing this, he moved his hand back and stopped pointing in any direction. Ragnar waited until Korgami placed his hand on his shoulder, then moved with him.
Ragnar and Korgami advanced slowly, Korgami's hand on Ragnar's shoulder. Ragnar was made of shadows, but he could make his body solid or in a shadow form where everything passed through him.
But this was no problem for Korgami, as his power stemmed from the power of darkness, and holding onto something like a shadow or shadows was simple and easy for him.
As they approached the cave, with only a little distance left to reach it, Korgami felt a rich mana energy emanating from within. It was very pure, but his expression didn't change; it remained cold, because this energy or mana was of no use to him.
However, it could increase others' training speed and elevate their strength to new heights. Mana power had been the essence of the world of "Varyon" ever since the catastrophe began, when mana entered this world, changing many things within it.
It didn't only affect living beings; the plants and infrastructure of this world were also affected, and technology developed greatly.
Cars and trucks now flew in the air, and not to forget, trains currently moved at the speed of sound, but they were useful for the middle class, as a trip cost one crystal stone—enough for a family of four to live comfortably for ten years.
The local currency of the world had been replaced by crystals since the borders of the thirty worlds were established. With humanity's development, they no longer needed it, but the poor still relied on it.
They weren't capable of earning half a crystal stone in their entire lives.
Remembering this, Korgami bit his lip hard with his teeth, making it bleed.
Ragnar saw his master's action but did not intervene. Even though he was his king and he had to protect him, there were things Ragnar had to let Korgami handle himself, provided they weren't dangerous.
The force of Korgami's bite subsided, and he released his lip. A trickle of blood slowly flowed from it before falling to the ground and making a dripping sound.
"Bloob."
The echo of the blood droplet resonated inside the cave, making Korgami realize they had finally reached the cave entrance.
The strength of the mana energy in the air intensified, and its purity multiplied many times over. Although it didn't affect Korgami, when it entered his body and encountered the energy of the Barrier Guard Commander, which Korgami had absorbed previously, it immediately reacted with the mana energy in the cave, making Korgami feel a wonderful sensation for the first time in a full year.
He had felt it during his last attempt to sense the mana in his body; he had succeeded, but the dark energy appeared and swallowed it that day, and he began to hear hallucinations that Ragnar was saying to him.
Remembering this, several memories flashed through Korgami's mind: his days with his younger sister when they went to the Category C city academy. He faced discrimination compared to his sister, who was diligent, smart, and had a strong will to get their parents out of the poor district.
She had high talent and could have achieved it quickly if she had gone to a prestigious academy, but poverty had other plans.
Korgami, who was not diligent, not smart, and not talented, but had a strong will, tried to keep up with his younger sister's footsteps, but his body didn't react to mana.
He didn't despair; he tried and tried, night and day on that mountain, but he didn't succeed, even though he was almost about to, if not for the intervention of the dark energy.
Yet, he wasn't sad to possess it; he continued to dream of something better.
But he was expelled for Ragnar's injury of a ranked hero, was thrown into the hell cell on the ninth level underground, and was tortured by a mad old man for a full year before emerging from that torment.
Korgami turned his attention to the shadow he was leaning on, advancing with him so he wouldn't bump into something or trip and fall due to his inability to see. Korgami felt a sense of gratitude towards Ragnar; he had stood by his side almost all the time. He was like a friend, not just a loyal follower.
And he remembered what he saw while unconscious; some strange memories had intertwined in his mind, memories carrying sadness and a profound impact on an individual's soul.
"Ragnar, do you remember your past?" Korgami asked Ragnar with a playful expression as they walked inside the cave.
"No, I no longer remember anything about the past, and I have no need for memories at all," Ragnar replied in a deep voice this time.
"You're right, but there's no harm in making you remember some memories, is there?" Korgami spoke slowly while taking careful steps in the cave.
"If that is my lord's wish, then I have no problem with it." Ragnar was silent for a moment before adding: "In fact,it would be an honor for me that my lord cares about the past of someone as humble as I."
Korgami's mouth curved into a smile, happy to hear that.
~ End of Chapter, To Be Continued...