I swung the spear and sent the monster flying across the land, breaking through one of the pyramids.

My mental state was rapidly deteriorating, I was well aware of that. If I was being normal, I would’ve long run away as soon as I acquired the spear. But something in me had snapped. And now. I didn’t give a shit. I didn’t care for what was happening; what the Forgotten Places were, what would happen to me, or whether I was corrupted or not. All that mattered to me was making the corruption suffer.

Or more specifically: make the monster that had attacked me suffer.

I was tired. I was tired of this entire place; I hadn’t even been here for that long. It wasn’t the constant danger; I had gone through that during training. It wasn’t the prospect of being corrupted either. The main reason I was tired was because of all the circumstances compounded together. There wasn’t anything I could specifically point at, but rather it was all just wearing down my mental state.

And after reaching this point, I had stopped caring. My body was beginning to get corrupted, my mana was corrupted, my hand would probably be gone sometime soon, and yet… I didn’t give a shit. Instead, I hit the ground with the spear. It immediately shattered ⁠— breaking apart like spider webs as corruption shot out in all directions.

I still hardly understood how the spear actually worked, I could feel an intrinsic ability in there, but it was so muddled that it was hard to even try to draw it out⁠— plus it was corrupted. Though not like that mattered, I was willing to use any tool at my disposal. Was I being rash? Yes. Was I perhaps going to die like this? Yes. Was I going to try to recover after? Also yes. But right now, the recovery, the fact that I was being rash, or perhaps even die didn’t exactly matter to me.

Instead, I focused on feeling the spear, on listening to it as I stabbed the numerous tentacles. In a single moment, the corrupted things were destroyed and annihilated. Even as they multiplied and formed even larger tentacles I didn’t care. I pushed forward, my hand gripping the spear harder and harder as the pain got worse and worse.

The corrupted monster came back at breaking speeds, and yet I dodged him. It was all driven by instinct, I could feel my strength increasing by the second as I punched it in the face and drove a knee into its stomach. The pain spreading across my entire body. Very slowly, parts began to ache as I slammed the wretched thing into the ground.

My spear blurred, breaking through the tentacles and even cutting a limb off the beast. And as I continued to use the spear, the more I tried to draw its skill, one thing quickly became evident. There was a desire emanating from within it. A single emotion that wanted to come out. It was:

Wanting to be more.

More than a corrupted tool, more than something whose strength depended on the amount of corruption, more than something that brought harm to its users. It was… interesting. The harder I gripped the more I felt in line with those feelings; remorse, apprehension and when thinking of unleashing its skill I was filled with dread.

It wanted to be more, but instead it had been reduced to a corrupted tool. And to some extent, I also wanted to be more. I wanted to not be consumed by the corruption, but as I saw the motes of darkness coming from my being all I could do was grit my teeth.

What choice did I even have?

I stabbed at the monster, piercing what would be its heart. A burst of corruption exploded upon the land as I drew back, and all the monster could do was screech in response. It tried to swing its arm at me but I stopped it with my hand and twisted⁠— there was a crack, the sound it produced was muddled and the corrupted scream didn’t help.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I didn’t know what the being had once been, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was stronger now than it had even been in the past. And yet, here I was, fighting it and winning. I gritted my teeth as I drew back, slicing through its neck with a crescent swipe, and then I spun and did a backwards kick.

I felt something within it break as it was sent flying through the air. At this point motes of corruption were coming from every part of my being and yet… I didn’t know how I felt. In fact, I didn’t feel that much different than before. Though, perhaps it was best to not think about it.

A sigh left me as a corrupted voice resounded in the background, and a moment later a torrent of corrupted darkness exploded. I saw light⁠— white corrupted light gathering in the distance as danger filled my surroundings, and at that moment I realized that I had to put an end to this.

I took a deep breath, drawing the skill from the spear as I pulled my arms back in position for a thrust. My arms tensed, and my mana tapped into the corrupted spear as I instinctually shivered, it scurried within getting tainted by the darkness until finally⁠— I reached the deepest part of the spear, where a great power resided.

A flash of light came with an echoing voice.

[̴̵̷̸̷̶̵̴̷̷̸̷̶̸̴̵̷̷̸̷̶̴̵̶̶̸̸̴̶̷̷̸̷̴̶̸̷̶̷̷̸̶̶̸̶̷̴̸̷̸̶̵̵̵̸̶̵̸̶̶̸̱͑E̸̸̴̷̶̴̵̷̶̵̴̸̵̸̷̴̸̵̵̷̵̴̶̵̵̵̷̶̵̸̶̸̷̸̷̵̸̷̸̶̴̵̵̷̵̵̶̴̶̵̴̷̵̶̸̷̵̴̵̸̶͉̽v̸̸̶̶̴̷̵̴̷̸̷̶̷̴̴̴̶̵̵̵̴̷̵̷̸̶̵̴̴̶̴̷̶̶̸̵̷̸̷̷̶̷̸̴̸̸̷̵̶̴̵̴̸̷̵̷̴̸̶̵̸͚̏e̵̴̵̸̴̴̷̷̷̸̷̷̸̸̷̶̷̶̵̸̷̵̶̴̴̸̵̴̶̸̶̴̷̷̵̷̷̸̴̴̷̴̴̵̵̴̷̸̷̶̷̶̴̵̵̴̴̶̵̷̶̙̅ṙ̸̷̴̴̸̷̴̷̸̷̵̷̶̸̸̴̴̴̸̶̶̸̶̶̶̶̶̴̵̶̵̶̸̵̵̶̵̶̸̸̸̸̸̷̸̶̶̶̷̵̵̸̴̸̷̷̷̵̵̵̵͔l̷̷̴̵̶̴̸̷̷̶̷̸̵̴̶̴̸̷̶̶̶̵̶̵̴̶̴̶̸̵̴̵̷̴̴̶̶̵̷̶̶̷̸̴̷̸̶̴̸̸̸̶̴̵̵̷̴̵̴̴̵͎̄a̷̵̷̷̵̶̵̴̴̴̸̵̷̴̸̸̴̸̷̸̵̴̸̷̷̷̵̸̶̸̵̸̵̸̸̸̷̶̵̵̴̶̵̷̶̴̸̴̴̶̷̸̷̸̶̸̸̷̵̶̶̟͘s̷̷̸̵̸̶̵̸̵̵̵̶̴̶̷̷̸̷̸̸̵̴̴̵̵̸̸̴̶̷̷̶̶̶̶̴̵̸̶̵̶̸̶̶̷̵̴̷̴̴̶̴̴̶̴̴̷̴̴̴̴̘͐t̵̴̷̷̵̴̶̸̶̷̶̸̴̷̴̴̶̸̸̸̵̴̴̸̴̴̴̵̵̶̴̶̷̵̸̸̵̷̷̵̵̵̴̷̴̶̴̶̴̸̴̷̵̴̷̵̵̶̶̷̶̘̋ì̵̵̴̵̶̴̸̸̷̶̵̷̸̴̶̶̶̵̴̵̴̷̸̸̷̸̷̴̷̵̷̶̷̶̵̶̷̷̶̷̵̴̵̶̷̸̷̵̴̶̶̶̴̸̵̷̶̷̷̸̷̺n̵̶̷̴̸̸̵̵̶̷̸̵̴̶̷̵̷̷̷̸̸̶̸̵̷̶̷̵̸̷̴̶̵̸̸̸̷̵̷̶̵̸̸̵̸̴̵̴̴̷̸̸̵̷̸̸̷̸̴̸̵̳͐ḡ̴̶̴̵̷̵̴̷̴̸̴̶̶̵̴̶̶̵̵̸̷̴̷̸̶̸̷̵̷̸̵̵̶̷̶̸̶̵̷̸̵̸̴̷̸̸̶̶̷̴̵̷̶̷̷̸̷̷̴̷̵͉ ̸̷̶̷̷̷̶̵̵̸̸̸̸̶̴̴̶̸̵̶̸̴̷̵̵̶̸̵̷̸̶̴̶̶̷̴̷̴̵̶̷̴̶̸̴̸̶̴̷̵̴̷̵̵̵̶̸̸̶̶̸̋ͅL̸̸̵̴̸̵̴̴̶̴̵̴̴̴̷̸̷̷̵̵̸̸̵̴̵̶̸̷̸̸̶̸̸̴̶̴̴̸̸̸̸̷̷̶̵̸̴̸̵̵̸̷̴̴̵̸̴̶̶̸̸̤͠i̸̵̶̶̵̴̵̷̷̸̴̶̸̶̸̴̶̶̶̵̷̵̸̸̸̴̵̵̷̵̴̴̸̷̷̴̷̷̴̴̸̷̷̸̷̴̶̷̷̶̸̵̶̵̴̸̸̸̶̷̵̢͆g̵̴̷̸̶̸̵̵̵̴̷̵̶̸̴̷̶̵̷̷̷̷̶̶̶̵̸̵̸̸̸̴̵̷̷̶̸̸̵̶̵̶̸̴̵̵̸̵̶̴̷̸̶̴̷̷̴̸̸̸̷̬̈́h̴̴̵̶̸̵̸̷̸̴̴̷̸̸̴̸̷̵̷̶̶̶̶̵̷̶̴̷̴̷̸̵̴̵̷̷̸̷̵̷̸̵̴̴̶̵̸̵̷̵̶̶̷̶̴̸̵̷̶̴̸͕̓t̶̴̸̶̴̵̶̵̷̵̴̴̸̴̴̸̶̶̶̷̷̸̴̷̸̶̴̷̴̵̶̸̸̶̶̵̶̵̴̸̴̸̵̴̸̸̶̶̴̸̶̵̵̴̶̸̵̴̷̶̶͎̐]̷̶̸̵̵̵̶̶̸̵̵̷̵̴̸̸̵̵̷̶̷̷̵̵̶̶̵̷̸̵̸̷̸̷̸̵̶̴̵̶̵̷̴̶̸̸̷̴̸̸̸̵̸̵̴̸̴̵̵̸̷̺̅

It was so corrupted that I didn’t hear what it meant, but that didn’t matter as a moment later I screamed in anger.

“[World Piercer]!”

And the spear blurred with corruption. A flash of corrupted light engulfed the surroundings as it destroyed everything in a straight line. I saw buildings explode, the sand itself was wiped, and the whole world went silent as multiple system notifications came.

[ You have vanquished the: ⁠̵̢̟̲̗̟͇͊⁠̸̨̨͎̦̂̄͜͠—̴̧̥̬̺̈́́͑̆͜͠⁠̵̧̥̰̩̳̱̊—̶̛̤̮̪̰̗̞͌̓⁠̸̠̦̞́͂ͅ—̶̡̤͇̺̞̾̊̐̀̕.̶͓̫̖̑̿͜ͅ .̵̶͈̜̐̔ from the world. T̸̙͉̺͖̯͌̓̒̒i̶͉͙͍͚̔̄́e̴̱̍͋́̈͗r̶̠͙̺̤̤̋͜:̸̟̥̅̈́̾͠ ̷̳͑̀̏͂̈́⁠̴̝̲̄͘—̵͕̖͎͎͒̀͑́]̴͈͝

[ You have vanquished the: G̸̬̑u̸̧̔a̴̛̫r̷̺̔d̶̘̏i̶̢͒á̵̟n̸̈́ͅ ̷̹̒Ẇ̷̪a̴̫̐ț̵͊c̸̜̒h̴̠͆ë̸͓́r̷̜͝.̵̶͈̜̐̔ from the world. T̸̫̋i̸̩̓ĕ̷͈r̶̡̛:̸̯͝ ̵̠̇S̸̨̾S̶̜͑ ]̴͈͝

[ You have vanquished the: C̶h̷i̸m̷e̴r̵a̴ ̴o̷f̵ ̴t̷h̶e̸ ̵E̴r̵_̷o̶_̶.̵ ̴ from the world. T̴i̴e̶r̸:̵ ̴_̶_̶]

…

And the notifications continued as it listed how [World Piercer] had slain dozens of corrupted beings in a single attack. Before finally, the final notification came.

[ You have purged part of the Ư̸̖̦̥͑̌͋̀͘n̷̳̼̙̐̎͌͐̈́̈͜ḵ̶̢̥̬̘̪̯͐͊ͅṇ̶̢̲̌͆͝o̷͇̓̅͐͌̐̄̽̈́w̵͚̤̮̖̋̀͛̂n̸̨͈̜̦̼̙͙̿̏ ]

“So that’s the end…” I spoke with a whisper as I sighed. “And⁠— ugh.”

I groaned from pain, dropping the spear on the ground as my hand hurt worse than ever. The pain was so damn bad that I found myself kneeling down. I stared down at the ashen ground as I groaned.

"I guess that's the— gah!" I panted. "Price to pay for using it, huh?"

I laughed to myself, gritting my teeth from time to time. I didn't really know where things would go from now, or what to even do. I had now found a tool to fight the corruption.

I flipped onto the ground, lying on my back as my surroundings came to a deathly silence. Now, I only had one thing in mind:

"What do I even do now?" And I flinched from the pain.

"There is nothing you can do.." The Hero of Atlas appeared, looking down on me.

I raised my brow. "What do you mean?"

There was a silence before he spoke in a grave tone.

"You've been corrupted, Arc, and it's past the point of no return already."