CHAPTER 180: CHAPTER 180: CORNUCOPIA

Chapter 180 – Cornucopia

Kaden stood there, his back against the bark of the tree, his face holding a very distinct tense expression as light became darkness in his sight.

If what he suspected was true, then it was only a matter of time before it became known they discovered that people from Fokay can enter Darklore.

The very thought of that made his heart shiver in dread.

The humans here were already struggling to maintain these beasts in Darklore, so if the other humans like the Celestial Empire — who are dominant by nature — and the other races managed to come here...

’Then yes, chaos will unfold on a scale never before seen. Wars for domination will become the norm, the mundane people will suffer and die like insects — no, all of us will suffer, and death will become even more omnipresent.’ Kaden thought grimly.

But all of that was on the premise that... it was possible for them to come here.

Who knows?

Maybe they were just limited to entering the dungeon and nothing else. That would have been reassuring.

But Kaden had this way of thinking that said that if something could go wrong... then it would definitely go wrong.

He ran a hand through his hair, revealing more clearly his eyes filled with nervousness but also resolve. There was no need to overthink this, because at the end of the day, it didn’t change what he had to do.

His goal, since the beginning, was simple but it could help him protect himself and his loved ones without too many issues.

Strong.

He just had to be strong, and no one would be foolish enough to become his enemy. That’s it.

This world — or rather both worlds — are quite simple in nature. Strength governs everything. And strength... strength takes different forms.

It can be the strength you gain with money. The strength you acquire with your acquaintances, meaning your relationships with others. But also the strength you cultivate from yourself... your own strength, the one you trained and bled for.

Kaden... wanted them all.

There are things money alone can’t solve, so having good relationships with the right person can help you and make it easier. Or sometimes, even your relationships couldn’t help, so it would be time to use your own strength.

’I need them all. That’s the only guarantee of complete safety.’

’I know it won’t be easy... but so what? Anything worth having in this life cannot be easy to get.’

And that was true.

To obtain something, you have to go through a process — one generally not easy.

But it’s the process that makes it worth it.

Because when you walk toward a goal, you have to go through many setbacks, many hardships and difficult times that would make you question if it’s worth all the effort.

It will make you doubt, and even think of quitting at the hardest time. Especially if, after putting hours or even years into that goal, nothing seems to change...

But... that’s exactly the moment — that time of turbulence — when you must hold on. It’s at that exact time when everything seems to fall apart, when the light becomes darkness, when the sky no longer looks celestial and reassuring but heavy and dreadful, when the nights begin to be the ones where nightmares crawl in abundance rather than your glorious dreams... yes... it’s at that moment you must clench your teeth so hard they might crack and just push forward.

And you would see wonders... you would see greatness, because through that process you have become something worthy of what you dreamed of, and then... you would succeed.

Again, there is no secret medicine for success in this life.

Everyone successful enough to be admired has put years of work when no one was watching, when no one believed... and that’s... that’s life.

’And it’s a life worth living to the fullest. Because... well — Ugh — I would love to say I have only one life, but I don’t, right?’ Kaden thought with a low chuckle before abruptly stopping.

’I don’t have one life...’ he thought again, and soon his expression relaxed dramatically. Because he realized that compared to others, he still had the possibility to rewind time and start again.

True, there was corruption, and true, there was imprisonment... but if he was able to escape both of those not long ago... then he can do it again.

With these thoughts, Kaden closed his eyes for a couple of minutes in order to relax his mind. Once done, he gently opened his beautiful blood-red eyes and decided to examine the rewards he obtained from the dungeon.

The corpse of Nasari was self-explanatory, there was nothing really to see from it. He was more curious about the rest.

’Death, show me the description of the Origin.’

[Origin: Knight of Death

Type: Conceptual

Rank: Legendary

Description: You are a knight, a being born of death. You wield your sword for Death, and so you are merciless, for mercy is not the right of men. You are fair, for death bows to no king and spares no beggar. You are just, for all lives are measured against the same silence. And you are eternal, for as long as life clings, Death’s shadow walks beside it.

Bring eternal peace to all who stand in your path, O Knight of Death — Right hand of the master of the river that brings all things to silence.]

Kaden didn’t say anything for a long while as he just stared at the description in awe. He took his time and started to read the description again to understand it, and every time, the thing that caught his attention the most was...

’Right hand of the master of the river that brings all things to silence...’ Kaden thought, his expression pensive. He had read those same words inside that cave. And if he connected the dots... that meant Nasari was close to whoever that being was.

Kaden blew out a tired sigh.

’Ah, I’m tired of all these questions. I just wanted a death origin, for god’s sake why is all this happening?’ He couldn’t help but voice his frustration.

Too many things were happening lately, things he didn’t understand and had no clue how to investigate or whether he should even involve himself in them. But...

’Do I even have a choice at this point?’ he added in his mind with a wry smile.

Sighing again, Kaden dismissed the description of the Origin and took a look at the other two rewards.

The Evolution Rube Talisman helped you level up one of your traits. Kaden was pleasantly surprised by this one. He had many traits...

Synthesis, Soulbrand, Corrosive Blood, and so on...

He hesitated between Soulbrand and Synthesis, but finally... he decided to go with Synthesis. That was his most useful one, and he would need it to fuse the two Origins he now had.

After using it, Kaden felt a qualitative change inside of him, but he was slightly disappointed, as even now... Synthesis was not able to fuse souls.

Sighing — for the nth time already — in defeat, he looked at the last reward. The artifact was shaped like a... fragment of a key.

It was a rusty copper-colored key that emitted a vague but mysterious aura. An aura Kaden recognized too well by now... the aura of death.

But the key was clearly not complete, and from the part he held, Kaden saw the same words inscribed on the rough edges of the key, words he had seen carved on the harrowing scratched ceiling in that dark cave.

...The master of the river that brings all things to silence, I am the conqueror without horizon, the one...

Yes. Same thing. At this point, Kaden was getting tired of those words. You didn’t need to be a genius to guess that whoever that being was, he was tied to the very origin of the dungeon — and so of death — and so...

Kaden decided to not continue his thoughts on that matter. He had enough worries right now, he didn’t need some divine problem added to them...

The mortal ones alone might kill him, after all.

Not able to do anything more with it, he stored again in his space ring and finally invoked the corpse of Nasari.

He smiled darkly as anticipation started to creep into his heart.

Divine enemies or not...

Kaden would be ready and... he won’t be alone.

After all, how can the very child of death be alone?

The dead would be with him and...

They would be a cornucopia of them.

—End of Chapter 180—