CHAPTER 91: DEAD WORLD: CHARIX (2)

[22 years old, you were resting after another exhausting battle with these relentless ants, while sorting through your thoughts on their behavioral patterns.]

[The ants seemed to have no individual intelligence of their own, but they still appeared to be under the direct leadership of someone higher up the hierarchy, receiving organized instructions that coordinated their movements.]

[And compared to the first ant you had faced when this all began, at this point you were facing many that were far stronger.]

[With your physical strength alone, you were barely able to kill them, and if things continued like this, then using the Destruction Law was unavoidable.]

[So, knowing that going in that direction could overwhelm your soul at some point, you turned your attention to your soul zone and checked the condition of the Scarf relic.]

[It was still steadily devouring your soul power, and its consumption speed remained constant, so there was no immediate problem. But that consistency in itself was actually going to become a problem later on, so you deliberated whether you should try walking the Silence Law path instead.]

[Six months passed. You had already started using the Destruction Law actively in your battles with the ants. You had actually tried to shake them off and run away a few times already, but couldn’t succeed, as no matter how far you ran, they always seemed to be able to determine your exact location.]

[The worst part was that instead of the same group coming from behind you and catching up, there would always be a fresh new group waiting, so you found yourself entangled in constant battles with them.]

[You, who had seriously considered walking the path of the Silence Law, decided against that approach in the end, as the conditions for it were simply not suitable, and it was more conducive to stick with the Destruction Law.]

[Despite your increasingly shabby state, you had already reached the third rank, Law Bearer, and were still making steady progress forward.]

’Embroiled constantly in fights, and uncaring about the size of destruction he would cause to the surrounding environment, the conditions were just right for advancing in the Destruction Law, after all.’

Noel once again nodded in agreement, having the exact same thoughts as his simulated self regarding the strategic approach.

Not to mention that with just two possible choices available to him, after the simulation, it was better if he concentrated all his efforts on one path.

Because he was going to get an Ascended talent at the very least this time around. And there was no way he wasn’t going to claim it.

So that meant he simply had one choice left.

[23 years old, you were on the run, trying to avoid battle for as long as possible. Even then, you had not stopped growing in strength.]

[Your refinement progress in your first organ, the lungs, had reached 25%, and after arriving at this significant milestone, you had actually made a difficult decision to start consuming the green blood of the ants directly.]

[Simply using your physical strength and Destruction Law together, you were now barely able to take down the leader ants that were coming at you with increasing frequency, and so you needed to make this unpleasant concession.]

[24 years old, you had come to understand at this point that for the Blood Refinement Path, there really was nothing better than consuming actual blood, as your progress in refining your lungs had surpassed the halfway point and reached 60% in just one year of this practice.]

[But the serious consequences of your desperate actions were starting to show their effects on your body.]

[Poison, which had been steadily accumulating inside your system since you first started consuming their flesh, had at this point in time grown much more concentrated than before.]

[You had reached your absolute limit - consume anymore, and you risked dying due to the complete failure of your body rather than facing a problem with your soul.]

[It was during such a precarious time, when you were resting deep in a cave, carefully regulating your internal strength and waiting for your Regeneration Talent to work its healing wonders on your damaged body, when suddenly you felt an immensely powerful presence closing in on your location at frightening speed.]

[You intended to run away immediately, but with your current deteriorated condition, in the end you simply couldn’t muster the strength, and the said presence finally arrived directly in front of you.]

[It was an ant, but instead of crawling on the ground with all its legs like the others, this particular one was standing upright on two legs and possessed four distinct arms.]

[It had a grotesque and disturbing appearance, but still maintained a somewhat humanoid form, and radiated clear intelligence from its alien features.]

[It screeched at you in a language you didn’t understand at first, but noticing your lack of comprehension, it stopped and instead simply launched itself at you.]

[Instead of the usual killing intent you felt from the other ants when they came at you, you didn’t sense that from this particular ant. To you, it felt like it intended to capture you alive.]

Noel’s eyes gleamed with sharp light at this unexpected new development in the simulation.

To him, getting detained and held prisoner by his sister had been something he could barely endure, let alone tolerating some other comparable situation.

And if he were to be caught and held captive by this kind of intelligent monster? Noel wouldn’t find it strange at all if his ultimate fate turned out to be even more miserable than the one he had experienced within the Merrow family.

[You didn’t hesitate for even a moment. With your killing intent flaring wilder and far stronger than it ever had during your other battles, you summoned your scarf relic.]

[You gripped the scarf firmly from one end, and while pouring every single bit of soul power you could muster into it, you hurled the it at the humanoid creature.]

[The world around you lost all its color instantly, and the ant’s black eyes seemed to lose their shine completely as if it became unconscious while still standing. Then, the piece of cloth that seemed incapable of injuring anyone struck it directly on its face, and its entire head exploded in a shower of gore.]

[You didn’t allow yourself to relax despite that devastating blow, as you didn’t feel like the creature had actually lost its life yet, and threw another concentrated attack at its torso. Only then did it finally seem to lose its life completely.]

[You collapsed to the ground after that final effort, immense pain assaulting every part of your being, but you gritted your teeth and held on. Rising up with tremendous effort, you started running, already sensing many signs of life rapidly closing in on your position.]

[25 years old, you had actually managed to hold onto your life until this moment, and you had already finished refining your lungs and started working on your liver.]

[You had also made some progress in the Destruction Law.]

[Everything seemed worth celebrating under normal circumstances. But your body and soul had both reached their limits, and your end seemed frighteningly near.]

[It was then that another humanoid ant appeared before you.]

[This time, it was even more similar to humans in appearance. Instead of four arms, it possessed only two, and instead of typical ant-like facial features, it possessed ones much closer to human proportions, distinguished only by two antennae growing from its forehead.]

[It looked at you with clear intrigue and seemed to have the same intention as the previous one. So you, having already reached your limit, didn’t hesitate and launched a suicide attack against it.]

[Your soul felt like it was tearing apart in real time, and your body, unable to withstand this kind of desperate move, had already started breaking down completely. You were barely able to hold onto your fading senses then, but you felt it with crystal clarity... the ant had survived your ultimate attack.]

[You died.]

[The simulation is over. You can choose two of the following:]

[1: High Blood Affinity (Ascended Talent)]

[2: Strengthened Soul (Eclipsed Soul)]

[3: Strengthened Physical Strength (Second Stage of the Blood Refinement Path)]

[4: Initial Mastery over Blood Scripture]

[5: Destruction Law (Initial Understanding)]

[6: Memory of this Simulation]

With a thoughtful expression, Noel pondered upon the ending of this simulation.

He hadn’t had much in the way of expectations for it at first, but in the end... it actually wasn’t that bad, was it?

His thoughts had been doubtful at first, but in the simulation, he had still held on and survived until twenty-five, after all.

Shaking his head, Noel’s gaze moved to the choices presented in front of him.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to get an Imperial Talent as he’d hoped, just an Ascended one.

But it was still quite a useful, so he didn’t mind the outcome too much.

After all, despite his healed soul, he was still depending on his physical strength quite a lot.