Izo felt a massive explosion then it blew his weak body away. He might’ve been bleeding badly at that point since cold crept in from the skin then to his marrow.

After that was a long stretch of blank and barely lucid existence where he would feel some sensations before they disappear. Sometimes sounds could be heard like people talking but his schizophrenic state didn’t allow him to confirm if they were real.

Soon enough, the little joys from the slight sensation he felt died the same time these sensations faded, never to grace Izo. He couldn’t track the passage of time anymore such that the bare moments he could muster thoughts might’ve been split by hours, months or years.

Like the weathering of marble, his weak mind began ebbing away, washed by the endless darkness.

‘So, this is death.’

It was true finality and no matter how he struggled, no, wished to find a way to struggle, this was his fate.

Then like thunder on a moonless night or more like the first banishing of the dark in the universe’s first moments, there was light. Izo’s vision was occupied by an all-color mass stretching infinitely. If his faculty could comprehend it, Izo would’ve surely gone insane but a firefly smitten by the light would have no understanding of the intricacies of the lamp.

The thing was roiling like water and waves rose from it every once a while. Giant rifts in space appeared all around, spewing out beasts and creatures in distinct colors soon converted to the same everything-ness of the mass. At times, it would grow angry and spew forth pillars that would disappear into newborn tears in reality.

All around were motes of lights in their own clusters. They were few and far from each other but they were still in the thousands and all were lazily floating towards the mass.

‘They are the same as me. Ahh.’

It was easy to guess that they were also souls as even with their countless varied forms (some non-living), they were all “screaming” and radiating emotion as they got closer to the mass.

However, most of the souls’ resistance was unable to do anything, their scream lasting seconds then they were inert as if tired. Some of the larger and brighter clusters managed to halt themselves for minutes, mightily expending their energy till they too were dim then continuing their route to oblivion.

A few that could be counted in Izo’s hands propelled themselves backwards like torpedoes. They radiated dignity. Their screams claim of their past grandeurs as titans of their worlds. Their boasting was well earned as despite being weaker than 60% after, they managed to escape from the pull. They celebrated in exhilaration when a spherical being appeared from the void.

It was covered in eyes all throughout with double the number of arms sticking out. At least that’s what Izo first saw before it shifted in form to a fleshy mouth with serrated teeth. Little eggs escaped from the cavern which themselves spewed out more eggs. Then the being shifted form once more.

‘I must not look.’

He only tried to understand what it was for short seconds but he felt his consciousness grow weaker. Izo’s thoughts became clouded and he returned to insentience.

The next thing Izo knew he was part of the souls that were next to be cleansed in the conversion boundary.

The good thing however was his capacity for thought was returning the closer he was to the mass as he was gaining some of soul energy. The bad thing was this allowed him to be cognizant of the obliterating power that was seconds from washing his sense of self clean.

‘Fuck. I don’t want to die.’

He struggled mightily and was managing despite being smaller and dimmer than other souls. It was simply because he was in the exact spot where he was gaining energy at the same time, he was expending it with his struggling.

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This meant however that he wasn’t gaining ground no matter what he tried.

‘Must not stop. Must continue fighting.’

Every once in a while, he would slow down and in his carelessness, began careening himself towards true death. The regained energy once he got too close then allowed him a burst of speed to continue his effort. Conversely, he would gain momentum only to lose consciousness and be seconds away from being erased.

It seemed like it would be a long and arduous fight with no hope foreseeable for Izo.

*

Sun Hee was writing on a piece of paper with her left hand. Her right was palm open towards a tree. Concentrating on two things at the same time was incredibly difficult so after a while of trying and failing, she stopped then took a bite of a sandwich.

Her father was currently swinging a sword, moving it in circles and at times jumping then stabbing. His movements were fast and rough at times then fluid and flexible at another but all of it was dance like.

This was the training for his spiritual art “Sword Heart Trainee” and this was specifically part of one of its spiritual ability, “Dancing Along Death”. The art was powered by dedicating one’s life to the art of the sword. So, the black one-sided cutter that was priced at 23,500 points continued to cut amidst the great wind of the sea like it has been for a month now.

It was the beginning of autumn, 4 months after being brought to the Nexus. The weather was getting colder enough so that Sun Hee was wearing a scarf and thicker clothing. She would’ve preferred for the old man to start wearing thicker clothing as well but he was ‘training his resolve and must not admit defeat against simple weather’.

Guts? The old man had plenty for he chose a very powerful but exacting spiritual art.

‘He can’t use anything but a sword if he doesn’t want the spiritual art to kill him.’

His art would also weaken the moment he slackened practicing and sparring with the sword. This resulted however in her father could slice a two-meter boulder, could send a blade aura as far as 10 meters and could propel himself by swinging the sword flat in the air. This was countered in his weakness in longer-range engagement and predictability in prolonged fights.

‘As long as he’s happy.’

The last time she saw this kind of fulfillment from his old man was when the husband and wife used to walk in the forest near their town. He tried to continue to walk after Sun Hee’s mother died but couldn’t force himself. From that day on, her father was half-way dead in his heart.

Along side with this newfound happiness, Sung Soo looked in his 40’s now because he actually was back to this age. It costed them 29,500 points but they got the Dynasty’s equivalent of Izo’s Life Booster family of medicine. It was a fruit that reversed his aging and made him fit as a warhorse.

They had Izo’s Spirit Printer to thank for it. It’s point making business was unchallenged due to its high investment cost and when the candidates could purchase it at around 2 and a half months, the equipment it was producing was obsolete.

So, when Sun Hee learned Mana Enchantment and began producing the caliber of equipment required at that point, the business monopoly over the camp continued. Sung Soo reached #289 and Sun Hee catapulted to #90 just on sheer advantage from money.

‘If only you would wake up.’

At the start, she and her father personally took care of Izo, believing he would wake up in a week or so. When months passed without any signs of improvement, she bought a robot to take over then they could focus on their own training.

At least, that was one of her reasons. In truth, she hated seeing Izo in this weak state. He might not realize it but she considered him a friend, a very broken one that wished to keep distance to most.

‘When we signed that contract, I wished most not for partnership but to have a chance to break down your barriers.’

It pained to see him wrapped in bandage. To see him connected to tubes with a body liable to collapse at any moment. Especially, when she knew that he probably decided to do his suicidal last-ditch attempt thinking of his debt.

Whenever he got tired and was about to give up, he would push hard once more. Of course, it was for himself too but a big part was not wanting to let us down. To Izo, allowing him to borrow was a sign of trust that he would rather die than destroy.

So, Sun Hee didn’t want to see Izo cerebrally dead with little hope. If she could, Sun Hee would rather be burying him or better see him move again.

Sun Hee pushed the thoughts out of her head and continued her magic practice. There was one month left until by her estimation she could begin the third trial. Jae was on track in 15 days while others would take 1.5 months still.

She doesn’t have anymore hope for Izo waking up but she would make sure not to shame him.

‘I know you would be angry if I show weakness.’

So just like Izo was merciless enough to damage his body and his soul to risk it all, she would push herself to the limit. To the logical limit at least as Sun Hee knows that if he looked back to the death seeking action he tried, he would be embarrassed for the lack of logic.

‘I’ll be more levelheaded than you, crazy idiot.’

She resumed writing while manipulating mana in her right hand. When it reached a peak, the particles mimicked intense heat and methane then a large explosion happened. Enough to consume their hut in one blast.

Sun Hee however didn’t stop and switched her hands' roles. With her left hand she aimed the mana towards a tree, then in the next second the three meter lively being was reduced to a meter of dried husk.