Somewhere in the western part of the Undergarden.
Deep within the Inksworn region.
Beneath a great mountain, there was a colossal cave.
This cave was the personal domain of a Titan.
Inside, it was overrun by dozens of fungi and various spore-covered, fungus-born plants. The deeper one went, the more horrific it became. The cave hosted all kinds of mushrooms, large and small. The one who grew them wasn't currently present… but someone brought into the cave long ago still remained.
Deeper in, thousands of flowers revealed themselves. Unlike the eerie mushrooms above, these flowers were oddly pleasant in appearance, though they were wrapped in yellowish spore clouds. While they varied in size, they all shared one trait: their petals were shut tight, and inside each one lay a dormant monster. Once fierce creatures—perhaps of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th Stage—were now sealed within these spore flowers.
The sleepers inside spun endlessly within the spore liquid, moaning as their minds were slowly shattered and their sense of self erased.
But today, a flower unlike the others had emerged. The one inside wasn't moaning.
Spinning through the spores, trapped in a dream, was Yuel.
Ever since he sacrificed his ability to speak, he could no longer speak in his dreams either. He wasn't sure why, but he was certain—whoever he had sacrificed it to must've been extremely greedy. They wouldn't even let him speak while dreaming. Then again, inner voice didn't count, and thanks to his bloodline, he could still whisper into others' ears. So losing his voice, while significant, wasn't completely devastating. And since he hadn't seen another human in four years and didn't plan to any time soon… it was probably the easiest thing to give up.
He was still in that pitch-black void. Since he had closed the recording, his silhouette was no longer there. Instead, a small black owl hovered before him. Its presence alone seemed like it could turn the void inside out. Yuel felt as if the sky and earth bowed toward this owl—as though a god had descended.
The owl flapped its wings silently and flew behind Yuel.
When he turned around, it was already gone.
He tried to say, "Where did you go?" but no sound came. He no longer had a voice.
Then, another voice spoke. This one belonged to a man. Yuel could tell the speaker was older than him, but not quite in his 30s—perhaps mid-20s. It was a kind, optimistic voice. If this person were a musician, Yuel knew instantly their music would be beloved.
"Hello, inheritor. I doubt anyone else gets the chance to speak with us, so I must say—you're rather lucky."
"…"
"Kind of ironic that you had to give up your voice just to talk to me, huh? Well… considering the situation, maybe you're not that lucky after all."
"Looks like this is going to be a long, one-sided conversation…"
"First of all, don't ask what I am. Knowing that would do you more harm than good—it might even kill you. Just know this: don't try to find me. Looking at me strains this place too much. You might wake up prematurely, and we don't want that. You need to learn a few things first."
"From now on, I'll think for you. Don't question what I say. You, unlike me, have lost your ability to reason. I can't help you physically, but I'll think in your place and guide you. Every day, you reset. The reason for this loop? We don't know. It's been wiped from your memory. But it doesn't matter. You'll be getting out of here soon. Even though you forget everything, I haven't. And I won't let you forget. You encountered the guardian of the trap-fruit—a giant owl. You defeated it, but you weren't quiet enough during the fight. Another Titan came. Despite this, you didn't die—you fell into a dream. That tells us something: this Titan likely feeds off dreams or is trying to destroy your mind. Its memory manipulation is outstanding—it has erased and distorted your memories dozens of times. It stole your ability to think. That's why you couldn't reach this conclusion on your own."
"Once you wake, you'll have to run. Whatever did this to you, you can't defeat it…"
"But while you sleep, you're relatively safe. Use your bloodline properly, and you'll survive this."
"Let me explain how. Normally, you can't use the percentage before reaching the 5th Stage. If you do, I take the damage instead of you. What kind of idiot inheritance holder lets his inheritor grow stronger by hurting himself, right? But hey—I'll do you that favor. We'll be talking for a long time, it seems. You gave up your voice just so I could speak… That touched me. Right now, you have 37.64%. Could be better, but still, that's a pretty good number. You can use it instead of mana, but each time you do, I'll suffer damage—until you reach the 5th Stage. At that point, the damage will shift to you because you'll be "valuable" enough by then. For now, be grateful. Oh, and once a percentage is spent, it's gone forever. This isn't mana—it doesn't regenerate. It's given once, when you first awaken your bloodline. That's it."
"Also, you're a Whisper inheritor. You don't need a mouth to speak. Still, at the 6th Stage, you don't have a mana heart—you can't generate mana. I won't force you to learn mana-speech now, but once you escape, you must. A Whisper inheritor should never be mute."
Though the owl's voice was beautiful, it talked far too much. Still, everything it said was relevant.
After the endless rambling, the owl swiftly flew onto Yuel's left shoulder… and whispered something.
Fast, complex, runic words—far beyond comprehension.
Then, Yuel woke up.
He was out of the loop.
But he didn't wake to peace.
He was submerged in a yellowish fluid. Slimy, moss-like tendrils brushed his skin, trying to latch on—but they couldn't. Even while asleep, they'd failed… because a pure white flame burned around him. A flame that looked eternal. Luo must have done this. But where was she?
He could finally think again—and that brought a sense of relief.
Even though he hadn't shown it, when the black owl explained everything, his skin had crawled. Whatever had done this to him… was something terrifying. At this level, he stood no chance. And the worst part? His erased memories were still gone. They seemed lost forever.
Yuel struck the moss with all his strength—and with the very first blow, it shattered as if it were nothing. The yellow fluid dispersed. Most of his clothes had melted off—some likely during the fight, the rest dissolved by the yellow liquid.
As he emerged from the fluid and moss, he realized where he was: the den of a 5th-stage Titan. A powerful one—even among its own kind, it would be considered elite.
Its abilities: memory erasure, mental manipulation, sleep inducement… and Infection.
The entire cave was covered in spores and fungi from its final, most deadly skill: Infection. Dozens of other beings—perhaps even other Titans—were being turned into mindless servants through these spore flowers.
5th-stage Titans always claimed a territory and fiercely protected it. While the balance among dhunes was somewhat stable, Titans were different—each stage stronger by a massive margin. A single 5th-stage Titan, especially an elite one, could equal dozens—maybe hundreds—of 4th-stage ones.
And this was the Inksworn Depths—still labeled "dangerous" by humanity. Which meant its Titans were even deadlier.
If others had been captured like him, and from the number of spore flowers around, it was likely…
There were definitely dhunes—maybe even Titans—already enslaved by this being.
How would he escape unnoticed?
Especially since someone would have noticed one of the flowers opening…
He needed a way out—fast.
Then, a voice spoke.
"Come on, Yuel. Don't fall into the illusion that you're alone. I'm here—and you can consult me. I know more about your power than you do."
"Then what should I do? And… what should I call you? Don't you have a name?"
Yuel stayed alert, scanning his surroundings, but remained in contact.
"Call me Null. I do have a name, but telling you would bring misfortune. So for you, I'm nameless—Null. As for what to do: I'll use 0.05% of your percentage to whisper to every living thing within 10 kilometers. Don't worry—they won't be able to tell where it's coming from. This way, we'll pinpoint every creature nearby, and you can avoid them."
"Alright, do it quickly. This place is terrifying—it feels like I could die any second. The constant moaning—"
"Quiet. It's done. Let me show you…"
Suddenly, Yuel was back in the black void. Null perched on his left shoulder as an owl.
Beneath them, a 3D map unfolded. It was colorless but perfectly detailed. Each creature showed up as a dot: squares for sleeping, circles for awake. The stronger they were, the brighter their mark.
The bad news: a 5th-stage Titan was within 10 km—only 8 km away, currently trying to lull a 4th-stage Titan to sleep.
The tunnels were swarming with dhunes and Titans.
There were four exits.
Two 5th-stage, six 4th-stage, 200+ 3rd-stage, 300+ 2nd-stage, and over 500 1st-stage beings.
And that only counted the awake ones. The sleeping ones… the numbers would be much higher.
"Hey… looking at this, there's no way I'm getting out. Stepping outside this room is a death sentence."
"Wrong. One exit isn't guarded by a 5th-stage Titan. The other three are. And the owner of this whole place is close to one too. But that last door? It's our best shot. I'll guide you."
"Still… even without 5th-stages, I can't beat 3rd or 4th-stage beings either. How can I get there alive?"
"That's where I use 03% of your percentage. I'll drive every being in the tunnels to madness. They won't be able to focus or think straight. They'll be overwhelmed by whispers—paralyzed."
"Except the 5th-stages, right?"
"Correct. Stay away from them. Got the plan?"
"Got it. But… couldn't we just use all the percentages and kill everything?"
"You idiot. You don't know anything about percentages, do you? Once they're gone, they're gone. Forever. Not like mana. Your bloodline gives you a fixed amount once. That's all. If we use it all now, you'll be weak forever. Later, you'll want to spend most of it forging a powerful weapon. So for now—we're using just 03%. That's a big deal, considering it's meant to last your entire life."
"Alright… what now? Are we starting?"
"It's already begun. RUN. I'll guide you. You have 5 minutes. If you're not out by then—you die. So run for your life!"