At some point, after an unknown passing of time, Yeon-woo had lost the concept of time altogether.

***

Day 1. Yeon-woo was in a tight battle with a Demonism.

Very entertaining. I’ve heard so much about you. You live up to your reputation.

The Demonism boasted a much stronger power than the Demonism that had tormented Yeon-woo in the past. It seemed that not all Demonisms were the same. Based on the world they were born in, the achievements they had built up, and the number of years they had spent alive seemed to factor into their overall power level.

Yeon-woo had chosen this Demonism because it was the nearest to him, but the Demonism seemed on par power-wise to Yeon-woo… No, it boasted a power that might be slightly stronger. The Demonism was comparable in power to an elder god or even one of the Eight Gods of Disorder. It was absurd that an existence with such a superior power was only a very ‘minor’ part of the Black King.

But there was something else that annoyed Yeon-woo. In addition to possessing such strength and power, the environment favored the Demonism. Since darkness was scattered all over the place, even if the Demonism’s arm was cut off, it was possible for the Demonism to restore its limb quickly.

There seemed to be no limit to the Demonism’s physical strength or magic power. Rather, as the fight went on, the Demonism seemed to grow stronger. It was as if the Demonism was regaining some of the fighting methods it had forgotten long ago.

On the other hand, Yeon-woo, who was utilizing his Cold-blooded trait, had not yet fully assimilated with the darkness. He could not use the power of the darkness freely. This meant that Yeon-woo’s physical strength and magic power, as well as mental strength, had no choice but to be limited in comparison. However, Yeon-woo was not without his own advantages.

[The Philosopher’s Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria) strongly resists the continuous state of ‘darkness’!]

[‘Superbia (pride)’ is running rampant!]

[‘Gula (gluttony)’ discovers a new prey and salivates!]

[‘Luxuria (lust)’ releases a strong fragrance for enchantment!]

The Philosopher’s Stone, which had fully assimilated the three Soulstones, revealed each character in turn, reinforcing Yeon-woo’s overall strength and power. The prideful nature of Superbia reinforced Yeon-woo’s mindset and kept repeating that Yeon-woo could not lose. It amplified his magic power. The gluttonous temper of Gula was constantly biting at the nape of the Demonism as it revealed the teeth of ‘Hades’ Spirit Eating Sword’ from time to time. The lustful nature of Luxuria continued to move actively to assimilate into the darkness, which still treated Yeon-woo like a foreign entity.

As a result, Yeon-woo was able to reach a power level that bridged the gap against the Demonism. Of course, that was not enough to win. In the end, the fight was solely up to Yeon-woo’s actions and decisions.

‘Outside of this guy, there are also quite a few hyenas lurking around looking for a chance to get into the fray.’ Yeon-woo smiled coldly as he looked at the Demonisms that surrounded him.

Tens of thousands? Hundreds of millions? The innumerable crowd of Demonisms examined the battle with interest.

The Demonism Yeon-woo was up against had no facial features, only a black face, so Yeon-woo could not read its expression at all, but somehow, Yeon-woo knew what the Demonism seemed to be thinking.

You, the ‘me’ of another world. You are the only one among us who achieved in killing the Heavenly Demon’s flesh and blood. Thus, show me your worthiness.

Instead of answering, Yeon-woo widened his Sky Wings. Whoosh!

[The legend of ‘Fight’ shines fiercely!]

A dark red flame exploded along with Yeon-woo’s Sword Thunder.

***

Day 2. Yeon-woo’s left arm was cut off.

***

Day 15. Two of Yeon-woo’s right fingers flew off. But in return…

[You have successfully defeated Demonism #134,298,111!]

[The power ‘Hades’ Spirit Eating Sword’ attempts to devour the Demonism.]

Yeon-woo barely managed to obtain his first victory. Immediately…

I’m next.

Without a break, Yeon-woo battled the next Demonism.

[You are quickly absorbing darkness.]

[New changes are given to your factors through synthesization.]

[Your exuviation is progressing slightly quicker. 49.4, 49.5… 49.7%...]

***

Day 43.

[‘Universal Recovery’ has been activated. It is operating violently!]

[‘Formless Poison’ succeeded in poisoning Demonism #98,423,964,593!]

‘Hmm… Has the turnaround time been reduced to about three days now?’ At first, it took Yeon-woo a full month to kill the first Demonism, but now, it was taking him about three days per Demonism. Clearly, Yeon-woo was gradually getting used to battling them.

Of course, the process was not easy. Several times within a day, Yeon-woo’s limbs were amputated and restored, occasionally causing his Atman System to overload and freeze. Since Yeon-woo was constantly outputting his magic power to the limit, his body and mind were always on the cusp of crumbling.

The Philosopher’s Stone, which poured out a seemingly infinite amount of magic power, was also overheating as if it had been driven to its limit.

[‘Superbia (pride)’ is trying to somehow overcome the overload status of the Philosopher’s Stone.]

[More darkness is needed to make up for the lack of magic power.]

[The effect of ‘Gula (gluttony)’ has been greatly weakened.]

Although Yeon-woo was devouring the Demonisms he defeated, most of the devoured nutrients were used to reconstruct his body and to supplement his exuviation process. Very little was allocated towards his magic power replenishment. No, even if Yeon-woo absorbed all the darkness and converted it into magic power, he would unavoidably brush up against mental fatigue before he could finish.

All this time, Yeon-woo had never stopped to take a rest, as the Demonisms never gave him time to catch his breath. It was fortunate that they were at least not pushing with their numerical advantage, as they seemed to prefer a one-on-one, life-and-death battle. Even so, Yeon-woo did not have time to settle his mind, so he became mentally fatigued as time went on.

Yeon-woo clenched his jaw and firmly gripped Scythe. In any case, in this endless battle royale, he had to win. Only then would he be able to safely save his brother and provide a place where his brother can live.

***

Day 250. Yeon-woo succeeded in reducing the time he needed to deal with a single Demonism from three days to one day. Thanks to that, he was able to acquire some additional knowledge about the Demonisms. ‘All of these… They all possess their own free will.’

Yeon-woo had his doubts when he first met the Demonisms, but now, he was sure that each Demonism was a completely separate individual. Their personalities were also different. There were those that maintained close friendships or showed hostile relationships with others. There were also Demonisms that appeared to be leaders, as they seemed to have formed groups, and there were Demonisms that seemed to be categorized based on classes according to their abilities and powers. Moreover, there even seemed to be Demonisms that had walked away or were banished from these groups.

It was in the same pattern as the heavenly world’s orderly society of gods and demons or even the rank and file of the otherworld gods. More than anything… ‘The skills, powers, and characteristics they have are all different… Although they’re all part of the darkness now, they were probably all individuals with different origins who developed themselves in their own unique way, like me.’

In essence, they were just like Yeon-woo himself. Each of them was from a different ‘dream’, that is, beings who had lived in and originated from a different world. Then, due to certain events, they were designated as successors or shadows of the Black King with the duty to wake him up, but they had ultimately failed.

‘In order to accept the Black King…one needs to become a vessel that can completely contain the darkness without shattering, but if one breaks for any reason, one’s soul will inevitably be completely eroded by the darkness.’

Perhaps in the process of trying to become the Black King’s vessel, the world each of the Demonisms had lived in ended up becoming just another ‘dream’.

Yeon-woo became curious. Among those who once lived in their own world with their own unique relationships, was there a successor who had dared to oppose the Black King like himself? The fact that the Black King was still asleep meant that all those previous attempts had failed…

Yeon-woo felt an urge to understand why they had all failed. Of course, it did not look like they were going to give him an answer anytime soon.

***

Day 599. Yeon-woo finally became strong enough to defeat two Demonisms at a time.

***

After a thousand days, Yeon-woo was able to deal with three Demonisms at the same time. And after two thousand days, Yeon-woo was strong enough to take on five at a time.

You’re getting stronger. And stronger.

I felt it the moment you challenged ‘we’ in such a rude way. Surely there must be something different about you.

My turn! I want to see for myself!

And when about five thousand days had passed, Yeon-woo was no longer obsessed with maintaining his life. He had become strong enough to not be pushed back even if a crowd of Demonisms rushed at him at once. He was victorious against countless Demonisms.

Yeon-woo had continued fighting without taking a break to tend to his own injuries. Yet, he continued winning.

Battles were repeated seemingly infinitely. It was to the extent that it reminded Yeon-woo of the world of pandemonium that once existed, a time when battles had raged non-stop. The term infinite fighting was an apt description.

[Exuviation is progressing. 63.6, 63.7%...]

[Current status: Extreme Weariness.]

However, if there was a problem, it was that Yeon-woo was getting extremely tired.

Is it my turn now?

I should enter the fray now.

However, there was no chance the Demonisms would be considerate of Yeon-woo’s condition. Among the Demonisms, the ‘leaders’, those that stood behind and observed Yeon-woo’s battles, were slowly showing interest and moving towards Yeon-woo. These were the few that formed the will of the Black King.

Of course, though Yeon-woo was thoroughly fatigued, his strength and power level had also risen by a commensurate amount.

***

How much time had passed? Ten thousand days? Or tens of thousands of days? Yeon-woo could not fathom a guess. Maybe hundreds or thousands of years had passed.

Yeon-woo’s awareness and consciousness were like a dim candle that periodically flickered out. It would not have been strange if Yeon-woo had completely shut down and crumbled in this precarious state.

[You are keeping your sanity with the ‘Cold-blooded’ trait!]

If it hadn’t been for the Cold-blooded trait, Yeon-woo would have fallen unconscious long ago. If that had occurred, Yeon-woo would have reformed and awakened into just another Demonism, after his vestiges reformed in the darkness over a long period of time.

Very good. It’s surprising that you’ve made it this far. You’re the first existence that has been able to do this.

At a certain point, the infinite fighting had temporarily stopped. Instead, at the place where the Demonisms retreated to, a new Demonism made its appearance.

Compared to the other Demonisms, this newly appeared Demonism did not seem any different. No, it was relatively smaller than the other Demonisms. If it did not make such a notable entrance, Yeon-woo would have overlooked it. However, the shape of this Demonism looked familiar to Yeon-woo.

‘Great Sage…?’ Yeon-woo had thought that a familiar entity might appear from behind the curtain of this battle royale. But when Yeon-woo came to his senses and looked again, the first impression he had felt completely disappeared.

Whoosh! Letters started revolving and twirling around the Demonism.

Truly, the human being is a strange creature. It’s just a mortal creature... And among mortal creatures, it’s one of the weakest, but it shows a new side of itself from time to time.

What did it want to say?

Did you know? The ‘vessel’ that was originally intended to contain the darkness was not something permissible for mortal creatures. A human being is basically just a tiny speck of a ‘dream’.

Was it a compliment? Admiration? Although he was barely able to read the letters with his fading consciousness, Yeon-woo still had a hard time comprehending what the Demonism was ultimately getting at. If it was going to continue to spit out useless nonsense, Yeon-woo just wanted to tell it to come at him.

But like the Heavenly Demon… Seeing beings that we normally wouldn’t even lower ourselves to look at to have grown to such a level… I can’t help but be amazed. But even then, there’s a limit. Even the Heavenly Demon struggled and used all his strength to finally put ‘we’ to sleep. So, I come to you with a suggestion. Become a part of ‘we’. Even though it’s a pity that you can’t become ‘me’…it makes you completely free from the restrictions of the human race. We will awaken together from the ‘dream’. Wouldn’t this also fulfill your wish to become ‘me’?

Yeon-woo did not know how great a position this Demonism had among the Demonisms. However, what he could sense was that they considered Yeon-woo much more useful and worthy than at the start.

[The Black King is very satisfied with his shadow.]

[The Black King thinks the quality of this shadow is the best among the ‘vessels’ he has recently seen.]

[The Black King offers to give this shadow a throne to sit on.]

How about it? The letters spun around and burst lightly in front of Yeon-woo to convey the messages.

At that moment…

“Give me Jeong-woo’s soul…” Yeon-woo spoke directly with the voice he had almost forgotten he had. This was the reason he had endured despite repeating an uncountable number of difficult battles. If his brother’s soul could be recovered, it did not really matter to Yeon-woo if he became the Black King’s main character or not. If Jeong-woo’s soul was returned, Yeon-woo would happily assimilate and become a Demonism.

However…

As said before, that’s not negotiable. That will set ‘us’ free…

It’s an important key that will enable ‘me’ to wake up.

The Demonism shook its head as if nothing could be done regarding Jeong-woo’s soul.

Yeon-woo’s expression became distorted. “Then stop talking and come at me!”

Hmm. I guess it can’t be helped…

As if it had guessed Yeon-woo’s reaction to some extent, the Demonism expressed a bittersweet attitude and stretched its hand toward Yeon-woo. It was a very slow-motion movement.

The movement was so clear for Yeon-woo that it looked like he could slap it aside if he wanted to. But for some reason, Yeon-woo could not lift a finger against the hand that was slowly moving towards Yeon-woo’s face.

‘Am I…going to lose like this?’ When Yeon-woo had this thought, he wanted to shout something out of frustration.

Flash!

[The arrangement left by your familiar, ‘Brahm (Homunculus·God)’ has been activated!]

[The ‘Book of the Sun’ begins.]

A miracle occurred.