Chapter 68: Illusion World

[You are going to drink it now? Why not wait until your soul recovers to 100%?] Zera asked.

“I hate being weak all the time.” After opening the vial cap, Raven took a deep breath and poured the liquid into his mouth.

A second later, a chilling atmosphere appeared in the master bedroom, causing the fire to die down slowly. At the same time, the liquid essence entered his throat while freezing his tongue and esophagus and slowly disappeared.

No, the ice essences slowly entered the soul realm and spread all over his soul.

Raven felt a painful sensation from all over his body and tried to open his mouth. But he soon noticed that his face, hands, and whole body were freezing.

Like a frozen doll, he remained sitting on the bed and endured the pain for the next two hours.

What shocked him the more was that it only affected his outer skin. His blood flowed usually, and even his heartbeat remained stable.

‘It’s more like my body is becoming resistant to cold!’

Slowly, Raven returned to normal and felt a significant change around him.

“I-I can feel the air… No, I feel greatly connected to the chilling atmosphere.” Raven muttered.

“Wait, I want to try something.” He suddenly stood up from the bed and took the ‘Frozen Ender’ spear from the inventory.

[What are you doing? Don’t tell me you want to use that skill?] Zera was startled by his action.

“No. I want to try swinging the spear and see if it can increase my proficiency in Spearmanship.” Raven said as he gripped the spear with both hands.

[Don’t even bother trying it. I still don’t know why my owner gave you this spear. He said this is a Legacy left behind by someone who belongs to the Era of Primordial Time. He kept looking into this spear’s past and even put seals on it. He never told me how to activate this spear until his death.] Zera said in a disappointed tone.

In truth, Raven was also disappointed by this useless spear. But when he got kidnapped by Scott and his men, he managed to see how powerful this spear was through Casper.

‘Even merely mimicking Casper’s action increased my proficiency in spearmanship! What I need isn’t an affinity for spearmanship but guidance.’ Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

“I think we are missing something. You also said your owner wanted me to learn the ‘Past Touch’ skill, right? What if it’s the key.’ Raven didn’t hesitate for a second as he locked his gaze on the spear and activated the ‘Past Touch’ ability.

A moment later, his vision turned blurry and blanked him out.

Meanwhile, an invisible power emerged from the spear, pulling his consciousness into it.

…

Raven slowly opened his eyes and saw a clear blue sky.

‘Wasn’t I in the master bedroom?’ He slowly stood up and looked around warily. His surroundings were filled with plain grassland and a few trees here and there.

As his gaze swept across the plain, something caught his eye—a figure standing more than a hundred meters away. The figure was humanoid but unlike anything Raven had seen before. The being was in constant motion, rhythmically swinging an iron spear in a series of unique patterns. Raven soon noticed only five movements, but they looked coordinated because of repetition. First was the thrusting movement, followed by swept, a defensive movement, a feint by thrusting the spear again, and ended the technique with a complete spin. Raven became mesmerized by the strange, invisible power behind each action. Each movement was precise, almost hypnotic in fluidity, as if the spear was an extension of the being. With a simple look, Raven discovered how many mistakes he had made when practicing Wintermoon Spear Dance.

‘What an amazing spearmanship!’

Only then did Raven take a look at the creature's appearance. The being had blue skin, a rich, deep shade that gleamed under the sunlight. The creature’s build was similar to a human's—lean, tall, and muscular—but apparent differences set it apart. Long, pointed ears extended from the sides of its head, twitching slightly with each spear swing as if they were attuned to the air around it.

But what truly captivated Raven was the third eye set in the center of the creature’s forehead. It was larger than its other two eyes and glowed with a soft, bluish light that seemed to pulse gently with the creature's movements. Above the third eye were two antenna-like sensory organs protruding gracefully from its forehead. These antennae moved subtly, as if sensing the environment, their tips glowing faintly frequently.

The being’s movements with the spear were not just for show; each strike and parry were profound, as if the creature was practicing some ancient spear art. The ground beneath its feet seemed to respond to its presence, the grass bending slightly inwards, almost as if it recognized the being’s dominance over the space. Raven was awed by the strange ice shards that danced around the being and seemed to be moving under his will.

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But something else surprised him more.

At that moment, he didn’t feel the sensation of air or the scorching heat from the sun.

It was as if the whole surroundings were nothing more than an illusion.

“Hey!” Raven shouted at the humanoid being, but no reaction from it.

“What is this place?” He asked cautiously.

“A unique illusionary world created with the power of Elapsed Time.” A rough ancient voice came from behind, causing his whole body to stiffen up.

Raven slowly turned around and soon saw a man wearing a golden robe standing behind him. He was a bit old, around 50, had a large frame, noticeable wrinkles on his forehead, and wore a spectacle. He had long blonde hair, amber eyes, and a muscular body and looked around 185cm tall.

“W-Who are you?” Raven asked with a hint of wariness.

Meanwhile, an amusing smile appeared on the old man’s face.

“I go by the name ‘Runeth Aixus Rit’zyk.’ But I was also called the ‘Holem’s Crown’ or A-035.”

‘Holem’s Crown? What is it? Wait!’ Raven instantly realized who this old man was and asked in a shocked tone.

“Are you the owner of Zera? But how are you here? Where am I? Did you kidnap me?” Raven took a step back.

A chuckle escaped out of the old man’s mouth.

“I’m nothing more than a remnant will of the real owner, young man.” The old man named Runeth said as he arrived beside him in a blink and continued.

"I died long ago, leaving behind only a soul fragment with some memories intact in the spear. Then, my soul passed through the Eternal River of Life and became reborn as a completely new being.” As he spoke, his gaze landed on Raven.

‘His soul reborn as a new being?’

“Me? I’m a reincarnated soul?” Raven was perplexed.

“Yes. However, real reincarnation with my memories intact is not possible due to the presence of the Eternal River of Life. That higher being had completely erased all my memories and even vanquished my original consciousness. Well, I expected something like that from the beginning, anyway. So, I created the Memory Library and placed all my important memories as books. Thankfully, it seems Zera wasn’t destroyed. If not, you would’ve died long ago.” Runeth deliberated for a moment and asked.

“How many skills did you learn through the memory library?”

A hesitant look appeared on his face.

“I learned three skills using the books of your memories,” Raven recalled the painful moments he went through during his childhood and showed a forced smile.

“Hmm, but why does your soul look damaged? And it seems you also took the Ice Affinity potion recently. Does that mean you were born with only a low-rank ‘Life’ affinity? What happened to your soul?” Runeth looked deeply at Raven for a few seconds and asked in confusion.

‘Is he real? Can I tell him the truth?’

After a short deliberation, Raven decided to tell him about the mysterious power that allowed him to devour bloodlines and even about the split consciousness named Casper.

“Oh? That thing still hasn’t died? Moreover, Zera extracted its essence and created a unique system, huh? But the presence of Casper in the form of your split consciousness worries me.” Runeth furrowed while stroking his chin.

“Can you tell me more about the thing that made my soul with no affinity?” Raven asked, hiding his curiosity.

“It’s called the World Eater. Specifically, it’s an evolved form of the World Eater, and it became a self-aware being called Casper. Due to some unfortunate accident, he entered the world where I lived and made a big catastrophe. It almost devoured the world. Many Lawful Divine beings, Mystics, and I tried to stop it but only managed to weaken it after sacrificing many lives. To end this being, I put my life on the line and tried to erase its existence with my unique spell. But Casper realized my plan and invaded my soul. With no other choice, I was forced to enter the Eternal River of Life to remove him completely. Alas, I never expect that being to be alive even in the next life.” Runeth said in a solemn tone.

‘Casper is such a dangerous guy?’ Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

“Is there a way to remove him?” Raven asked, scared inside.

“Hmm, I think his split consciousness is completely assimilated into your soul. Unless you die, there is no other way to remove it. But I think it’s better to conquer it than erase it.”

“Conquer it?” Raven showed a clueless look.

“The fragment of the World Eater. Completely comprehend its ‘Devouring’ essence and make it into a spell model. But there is a high chance for Casper to take over your body completely after that process.” Runeth frowned a moment and shook his head.

“Now that I think about it, Zera has already separated the World Eater fragment from your body and sealed it in the System, right? So, Casper will no longer be able to harm your body or soul. And by the time the World Eater Fragment gains self-awareness, it will be nothing more than a wild puppy in a sealed cage. No need to worry about it.” He said while waving his hand.

“What about the split consciousness?” Raven’s worry was not the world eater but the split personality in his soul.

“Hmm, that thing is indeed a problem. Although it’s just a consciousness formed with the fusion of Casper’s memories and yours, it’s indeed a pure evil form.” Runeth froze for a second and soon saw a dark, creepy energy creeping out of Raven’s heart area before forming into the appearance of a red-skinned young boy.

He had crimson hair and pure white eyes, appeared around 155 cm tall, and wore a black robe.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Ancient Mage.” A grin appeared on the young boy’s face.

Meanwhile, Runeth looked at Raven, then the crimson-haired boy, and furrowed.

“Strange… You don’t have an evil aura.” Runeth suddenly waved his hand, created strange runes out of thin air, and started sending into the newly appeared young boy’s head.

Two seconds later, a golden chain appeared out of nowhere and completely bound his body like a rope.

Casper struggled, but the golden chain tied him firmly, giving him no room to resist.

“You crazy f*cker! Do you think mere chains can stop me?” He screamed in anger.

“Eh? Why am I being tied up, too?” Raven noticed a similar golden chain appeared around his body and slithered around his body.

“That’s because you and him are the same. He isn’t your other consciousness but just another personality. The only odd thing is that he is formed from the memories of you and the original Casper. In the end, one of you will devour another and become a single entity.”

Runeth’s words made no sense to Raven.

“But as long as you don’t stray from the right path, he won’t gain any upper hand. For now, I will seal him deep inside your consciousness. He will reappear only when you break down mentally or lose consciousness completely.” As Runeth spoke, he started chanting a ritual while creating strange runes out of thin air before sending them toward Casper.

He continued to do a ritualistic chant for the next 30 minutes and finally ended.

The next instant, another pair of golden chains came out of Raven’s chest, slithered towards Casper, and tied his body.

After that, it retracted slowly and soon pulled Casper into Raven!