Even as he accelerated and bulldozed through everything that stood in his way, Noah continued to analyze everything.

This test from the start was not something that should be possible. Whoever created this increase in difficulty really did not want people to use the name Noah.

There were so many weird things about this fact but not something he had to focus on now.

Whoosh!

The sound of the wind rushing in his ears was beautiful and though he was moving at a speed far beyond whatever he ever experienced, he was enjoying this moment like no others.

They are your children, right? Can you control them?

As far as humans managed to understand, Parasites were a hive mind centered around the Queen. The individuality of the whole could also be said to be the personality of the Queen. In a way, this was not so different from a colony of ants or bees.

—I cannot. I have tried but…It’s different. I am different. I can connect and understand the orders sent but I cannot interfere naturally, I would have to try and hijack the whole hive.

Noah continued to run. The implication behind those words could be the confirmation of what they always anticipated or this could be simply because they were not true parasites and were simply programmed to behave as such.

Noah did not have the time to think further as he felt a surge of energy coming from the front.

“Tch. Parasite Guards.”

Those bastards had been one of the toughest nuts to crack during the fight against the Parasites. Super elites were specially created to protect the Queen and also pierce the frontline. Out of the four constellations who died before the final fight, three of them died because of those guards.

Though they are shorter than I remembered.

Unlike other Parasites, the guard stood at around three meters tall. Unlike the ten-meter-tall guards, he fought in the past.

But while they were shorter, the pressure they were giving him was higher. If he let himself be taken in their nests, he would most likely get surrounded and killed with no way of escaping.

Noah understood that he was severely lacking in diversity when it came to attack and defense. His understanding of Dark Matter was instinctual at best and still very rough. If at least he could use Morgiana’s fire the fight would be easier. But there was no use moaning about could not be.

He simply had to be a little more imaginative.

The centipede swords formed once again in his arms, but this time they were thinner, and longer.

“Take this!”

All the swords started lashing out around him at high speed, so fast in fact that they seemed to be completely invisible to the naked eye.

The only proof of their presence was the humming of the air being split and all the objects that were shredded apart as he approached them.

Simply like this, Noah had managed to create an absolute zone of death that also served as a shield of sorts, the two guards didn’t stand a chance.

Even as they rushed at him, he cut and reduced them to small pieces in but an instant. The ferocity of the attack was even beyond his expectation.What was even more surprising was how they rushed stupidly at him.

Stronger but far more stupid.

The dangers of Parasites had never been their power but the process of their evolution.

The Parasites Noah fought against might have been weaker as they did not possess Dark Matter but they had evolved for multiple generations after analyzing and understanding human’s cunningness and technology, making them far more dangerous and hard to fight against.

Noah was honestly thankful. For all his pride, if he had to fight the Parasite of back then while they also had Dark Matter and higher technology…He would have failed.

In reverse, this situation also left a bitter taste in his mouth as this showed that the historian had been right.

Had humanity acted faster and more decisively from the start like by bombing Mars, Parasites would have been far easier to handle and the war would not have reached the level it had in the past.

“Finally we’re here.”

The interior of the ship had a more organic feel than he remembered, even as he entered it, he felt more like he was walking in the stomach of a beast than through a ship.

The guards he killed earlier had been the last defense standing between him and his targets and the other Parasites would not be able to reach this place fast enough.

Finally standing in front of the Queen, Noah admired her once again.

“You look Uglier.”

—-....

The Queen he remembered was very close to humans in terms of appearance, even though she was a 20-meter-tall giant.

The one here was more akin to a gelatinous mass floating in a green tube with only an indistinct human form.

“I guess back then you have yet to eat enough humans for a complete evolution.”

He did not waste too much time observing the Queen as she was now. This was nothing more than an image of the past and Noah was very intimate with the tales of the Hare and the Turtle.

He had no wish to become the hare in this situation.

“Farewell. I wish killing you had been that easy back then.”

The last thing Noah saw as he destroyed the Queen was a blue message floating in front of him.

[Simulation of the Witness State terminated]

[Result: Overwhelming success.]

The world immediately froze, fading into white and black. Noah initially thought that after killing the Queen he would have to kill all the parasites who were now unable to move but it seemed like the system had judged that it was not necessary.

[Calculating reward based on analyzing the combat pattern of the trial taker.]

[Reward set at the highest possible for choosing the Noah Difficulty]

The fuck is the Noah Difficulty?

[Calculating… Calculating…]

[Reward decided]

A glitch seemed to appear before one small light formed just above his head.

Stretching his hand, Noah caught the reward and looked at it. At first, he was confused but soon, his eyes widened as he looked at the golden ball in his hand with the image of a snake eating its tail in the form of infinity.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

[Ouroboros Perpetual Core]

[Rank: Unique Growth Type]

[Description: A core specially created by the finest mind of the Gaia Empire with the image of a hero in mind]

Ouroboros.

Noah clenched his fist over the core.

In mythology, this was a symbol representing the cycle of life and death.

Truly a mighty name. But more than anything —It was the name of Noah’s Mecha.

***

In a field filled with dead bodies that had been burned to a crisp, a man with a yellow marking on his body was breathing harshly while running.

Despite his tall stature, he was showing surprising prowesses in terms of nimbleness and speed as he zigzagged in the forest and away from his pursuer.

The man was none other than Omid and he was going through a test of the same nature as Noah albeit slightly different.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Why the hell am I being pursued by those monsters?

Omid was confused. This white gate was completely different from the ones he knew and the test made absolutely no sense.

Firstly, while Virtual Reality had indeed been researched and reached an incredible degree of realism, it was nearly impossible to truly break through the wall of reality. He did not feel like he simply had his conscience transferred but that of his whole body had entered a new world.

He could think, see, feel and even taste. This went beyond simple VR and could only be possible by using obsolete technology such as the full Neurolink.

Now is not the time to think about this!

Omid jumped away as a red flame formed around his right fist before being launched like a grenade at the enemies.

BOOM!

The satisfying sound of the explosion reached his ears but he knew that this would only give him a very short window of rest and that they would soon come back with vengeance.

Whoever designed this test is a bastard!

Parasites were not meant to be fought by only one person. At the very least, one needed a certain level of power difference to do such things, it would be even better if they had a high-level Knightframe.

Sadly the test asked for one to survive without the use of Mecha to ensure the fairness of the test.

What fairness? It was such a pain he felt like he was about to go completely crazy and nothing else.

Also, had it already been nearly 72 hours?

He could not help but wonder how this was happening. He had the distinct impression that the time spent in the VR was different but no Type III civilization could easily mess with time, even Type IV could hardly do such a thing from what he knew.

Of course, rather than messing with the flux of time itself, the probability that they were messing with his perception of time was far higher and more realistic.

But then, if it was not reality…How was he able to use all his abilities?

The situation was becoming harder and harder to properly grasp and he was becoming frustrated. He was also starting to regret slightly his choice to enter this Gate but the way the world was presented, all those wonders, and the possible reward at the end made those regrets vanish quite swiftly.

He simply needed to survive and he would survive! Even if it was the last thing he would do in this world.

Fuck!

Omid bit down a scream of pain as his shoulder received a powerful impact that sent him tumbling down a small hill. The shock was so powerful that the shoulder part of his armor was completely destroyed, leaving even his body mangled and bloody.

Buzzing sounds reached his ears as he looked up and paled.

“Royal Guards…”

He knew that the more time passed, the harder the test became but still, this was completely unfair.

In the hierarchy of Parasites, Royal Guards were not something that anyone could dare to face. They were the ones with the highest evolution below the Queen and an evolution extremely specialized for combat and destruction as well as protection.

If he had his Mecha, he would have been less intimidated but now with his bare body, it was simply impossible.

Omid knew that running was not the way. He needed to hold on a little longer. Only by doing so would he have hope.

His thoughts moved swiftly as he calculated the remaining amount of Dark Matter that he had in him.

Omid was a Yellow Flame. In terms of pure fire temperature, he was theoretically just at the second highest possible level but obviously, the reality was not so simple.

There was a difference between what someone should be able to do and what he was actually able to do.

This difference became even clearer without the amplification effect of a Knightframe core. The power he could bring without affecting his own body was minimal.

Even so…

Whoosh!

Orange-like flames started blazing around his armor, giving the impression that he was entirely cloaked in them.

[Fire Style: Fire cloak]

He was not just blazing his fire around without thought. Each skill, each technique was something that had been carefully studied for years and perfected generation after generation.

The Fire cloak was perhaps one of the strongest defensive techniques they had. A step down from the legendary [Sun Regalia] that only the members of the royal family could learn.

An inferno with a temperature of nearly one thousand degrees Celsius spread all around him, his yellow marking shone brightly and he stood tall, like a mighty warrior ready to fight for his life.

“Come on!”

This time he did not flee but in fact, rushed at the two guards who had attacked him with all his power. Parasites were Cosmic Beasts who could float and breathe in space as well as survive the cosmic radiation quite easily. From the start they were really a bad matchup for Djinns like him but it did not matter.

The two Guards did not disappoint. As they felt neither fear nor pain and their wisdom was still not fully developed. Four fists fought against two and as expected, Omid found himself swiftly suppressed by the combined might of the monsters he was facing.

On the horizon, he could feel the heat signature of more creatures approaching and he knew that the more time passed the more disadvantaged he would be.

Watching the guards slowly burn and melt as they continued to come close to him was a sight of horror he had never thought he would be forced to witness. For the first time, the smell of charred flesh seemed even a little too much for him.

But he held on. Even as his shoulder made him feel so much pain he thought he was about to die and even as his blood was pouring out, then to be reduced immediately to ashes, he continued to hold on.

Thankfully, the guards did not target fatal points. Parasites' primary goal was always to capture instead of killing if it was possible. This was another fact he used to his advantage.

The guards were not unscathed and the earth around him was completely scorched but it was not fast enough in his opinion. They were protecting their bodies with Dark Matter which made them even harder to kill.

Ah

Omid’s legs wobbled as he felt all his strength leave him. He was spent. Running and fighting for nearly 72 hours had already been a little too much and now he had no more power to defend himself.

Is this how I lose?

He could not believe it. After sacrificing so much would he die in such a pitiful way? With nothing to show for it?

Omid mourned as he watched the fist gradually grow larger as it reached its head. He was powerless and he would soon be captured.

He could have closed his eyes but even as he had given up all hope, he refused to lose with his eyes closed.

This was why he was able to see.

[00:00:00]

Time froze and the world was greying while a Blue box appeared in front of him.

[Simulation of the Witness State terminated]

Omid had felt his heart beat powerfully in his chest when he read those words.

I survived!

Reality hit him when he saw all the wounds on his body vanish and his Dark Matter replenish.

[Difficulty: Normal]

[Result: Average.]

[Race identified. Official Name: Djinn; Yellow Flame pattern]

[Calculating reward based on analyzing the combat pattern of the trial taker.]

[Reward decided]

Omid scowled a little at the result but he was so happy about surviving that he did not even care. Even so, when he finally saw the reward — All dissatisfaction immediately vanished from his heart.

[Earth core]

[Rank: Common]

[Description: A core used by the low-level soldiers of the Gaia Empire to equip on their Frames]

His breath became rough.

An earth core.

He did not care one bit about what the description was saying.

Everything in this world was a question of perspective.

The empire was a Tier Four civilization. What they considered low-level or common was completely different from the current standard of the galaxy.

“Jackpot!”

He cheered. Just this alone was enough of a reward for him to become renowned in the galaxy after a few years of strengthening his Mecha.

“There is still one more test.”

Truly. This whole operation was indeed worth it. Soon a new legend would see the light of the day.

He would make sure of that.