The morning sun broke through the cracks of the damaged wall Niven was laying against, waking him up. It signaled the start of a new day. A day that would see him leave this damned place behind for good.

All he would carry with him was the mission of granting everyone that was once here rest. For him, it meant answers, and for the dead, burial.

Everything was already packed prior to going to sleep, so there was no need to stick around any longer. All his necessities were already inside Apollyon, so he just picked himself up and walked out.

However, although he had long seen everything that needed to be seen, as he made his way down the hill, he still sneaked a look at the ruins above.

Taking a deep breath, he turned away and continued on his new path. He cannot let that nightmare behind him hold him back. There was too much to do. Too much to know.

He had a new lease on life, and even if it came with troubles of its own, he could at least leverage it to finish what he had wanted to do before.

...

Now that he at least had a general understanding of Apollyon, the threats that came before him were mostly trivial. Although the Divide was a dangerous place, that was only if one wandered without any idea of where they were going.

Niven had gone this path many times, and it had proven itself a relatively safe passage out of this godforsaken desert.

However, he never knew what might pop up with the curse Apollyon had burdened him with. After all, all the times he had come here was when he still had far above average luck.

Therefore, he still kept up his guard, but the constant calm allowed some room for him to consider a few things.

Chief among the things on his mind was finding a way to decompress his compatriots. And, ironically, he was in luck. A master of magic was right beside him, and all he needed to do was ask, “Can you show me a way to return their bodies to normal?"

“I can. But I won’t. How about I let you figure that one out on your own?” It replied.

"Why?" Niven asked.

“Well, I’m your teacher, yes, but I’m not strictly your teacher for magic. I’d like to see you grow as a person as well. To do so requires interaction with others. If you keep on relying on me and only me, you’d become a hermit whose entire world is centered around me. While I am flattered, that will not end well for either of us.”

“But how am I supposed to find that out?" Just looking at the marbles was enough for him to know that decompression was a delicate process. A shoddy job would leave things even worse. At least currently they were in one piece.

“Well, for one, supplicants aren’t an uncommon sight, but this really shouldn’t be much of a revelation. There must be someone who knows how to make the aftermath of their signature attack more presentable. Especially since their victims are generally higher on the totem pole. Nobles. Clergymen. The kind that actually hold grand funerals with a large number of guests for their deaths. To have one attacking a group of miscellaneous fish like you guys is a rarity.”

Niven considered its words. So since there is a market for this kind of thing… there’s going to be people who are proficient in it already?

“But who am I supposed to ask?” He questioned, before quickly realizing that it was a rather stupid question. Apollyon had already given the answer during its explanation. Nobles and clergymen. Preferably those that had already held a recent funeral of someone who had died as a result of a supplicant.

“Looking at your face, you already know the answer.” Apollyon teased. “So, what made you decide to do something like that? You could have easily buried them as they are now. Taking them out of the Divide is already a great mercy on your part.”

Indeed, while he had indeed intended to bury them here before, since Apollyon gave him the option, he couldn’t just half-ass the whole process. They deserved better than that. His conscience - and his memories of them - demanded it.

With [U][Storage], he wasn’t forced by the situation, so there was no reason to not take his time. It wasn’t like he was racing against a clock. Compressed like that, and inside a space that did not see the ravages of time, their bodies would be perfectly preserved.

The only slight problem was the question of whether he would break through enough waves of Apollyon's curse to see things through. Everything he had planned would likely take years, but it was worth it. They provided companionship for years as well. It was only right for him to return the favor.

...

Along the way they were met with another sandworm, only this time level 31. However, it was dispatched easily, now that Niven knew what to do. He simply repeated the steps from last time: tiring it down before hurling Apollyon towards it. From there, Niven then commanded it to explode from within.

By the end of things, the beast looked like a sea urchin with how many spines erupted from its insides. There were a few noticeable differences from before. First and foremost being his improved proficiency, though also important was the finisher. It was unlike the first battle where, from the outside, there were seemingly no signs of Apollyon’s attack, but it couldn’t be helped.

Niven couldn’t even begin to order it to pierce in that manner and could only direct it to change in more crude, haphazard ways. There was also no need to overcomplicate matters.

Maybe one day when Niven could process information as fast as Apollyon, he would show off in a similar manner. But for now, simplicity made for fewer points of failure that might rear their heads.

When Apollyon did not wish to take the initiative, it only followed orders to the letter. Piercing the worm like veins was too delicate a process to be easily commanded. Thus, the battle was not simply over after getting Apollyon in - there was an added period of madly running around as more and more spines erupted.

The last difference had to do with the System. The screen that showed up after that battle was quite surprising.

LVL 31 Drake-Blooded Sandworm Slain.

Base EXP: 310

Achievement Multipliers:

Over Level Kill: 31/10

Special Bloodline (Minor Drake bloodline contamination): 12/10

Class Multipliers

Unique Weapon: 11/10

Not Different Method From Last Kill: 5/6

Total experience: 300 * 31/10 * 12/10 * 2/3 * 11/10 = 1057.1 EXP

The experience he had gained was over double that of the last one. It really put into perspective how much a class mattered when it came to progressing. If he continued at this pace, he was going to level up before even leaving the Divide.

A truly inconceivable thing to him in the past. Two levels in a single week? He was lucky to get one in half a year. But he also knew that such a thing was not sustainable. At least, unless he was willing to just stay out in the wild and continue hunting monsters all his life.

Alas, he could not. His current defining mission necessitated contact with society.

Speaking of which… “Say... How am I supposed to investigate the lives of everyone at my outpost? If your guess is correct, and one of them did warrant an assassination, then how can I come into contact with it?"

“I never said you have to do it alone. You can always outsource it. Ask an information broker. Send someone else more connected to compile all the key points. You just need to sort everything out afterwards. Society is a rather useful thing. It is best to remember to leverage it while others can still provide help to you. It's rather tiring to have to do everything yourself." Apollyon lamented.

"That's rather rich coming from you. Don't you want to rely on me after teaching me everything?" Niven joked.

"I made the realization, it's only right for me to follow the path I conceived," his partner retorted.

Niven supposed that it made sense. Since it was fed up with not getting help, it would force others to help it. But that was beside the point.

“But won’t that tip off the person behind all this?” Niven returned the conversation back to the topic at hand. It seemed unwise to stick his head into things like this when Apollyon had cautioned before that the situation here was messy.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Isn’t that what we want? We have no leads. If the orchestrator sends someone to come and investigate you… and we happen to cross paths… A mouth is delivered right to the door. And if they don’t talk, there are things that could be gleaned from other things about them. No matter how one tries to sever karma, it will always be connected by tiny imperceptible threads. Unless they are wholly unrelated.”

“Or are unknown. Like you.” Niven chipped in. He was starting to see why Apollyon didn’t wish to be proactive. It was a complete headache for everyone involved to not even know who was scheming against them. Niven didn’t know what Apollyon was trying to plot through him, but he felt that it wasn’t anything good.

But at least it wasn’t on the side of the Soul King Confederacy. It had introduced itself by killing a supplicant after all. And, based on his Tier 1 Rank Up conditions, it was something wholly foreign. Something beyond this world. Niven still wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing. Only time could tell.

It admitted, “Yes, like me.”

“But based on our luck, what if they come in person? Or the one sent is beyond us? They are someone that can order a supplicant to do their bidding.” Niven commented. To be able to command a Tier 4 individual to do something normally considered beneath them would be a difficult affair for most people.

Niven felt that it was more than likely that they were at least stronger than the supplicant.

“Then you are screwed.” Apollyon stated bluntly. But noticing that Niven didn’t seem all too pleased by that response, it added, “Ah haha, that was a joke. Of course we don’t have to start so soon. We can always wait until you are ready. Until we have our bases covered and escape is possible for even the toughest encounters. Or…”

“Or what?” Niven quickly interjected. He wasn’t feeling particularly reassured by all this. Too much was outside what he could grasp, and his only saving grace, despite being so powerful, never really put on a reliable image.

Despite communicating telepathically, which could be done almost instantly, Apollyon really liked to hold its sentences for reasons unknown to him. He knew well enough that it could easily speed up the way it communicated, but it chose not to.

“Or I could give you a way to fight back. A last resort. A last stand. Here, let me show you.”

With a warning that was all too useless with how quickly the thing it warned against followed up, a brilliant flash of light seared itself into his mind. It was apocalyptic, washing what appeared to be the world completely white, seemingly devouring all that there was and all that there will ever be.

So disorienting was this flashbang that Niven's steps stopped, and he almost had to sit down.

“What… is that?” Niven asked, dazed. He didn't expect the conversation to go in that direction. How did talking about investigation take a turn into his suicide? He had a hard time keeping up with the strange thought process of Apollyon.

“A power that can end the world.” Apollyon replied blandly, as though it wasn't something extremely shocking.

“And you would teach me something like that?” Niven didn't know whether to be interested or not, so he just went with the flow.

“Well…” Its voice trailed off, “I don’t exactly know how to do it. To tell the truth, I was actually on the receiving end of that. I do have a hypothesis, though. And I think it’s quite close,” Apollyon admitted.

What kind of hatred did you provoke for things to have to come to that?! Niven exclaimed in his heart. He knew better than to say it aloud, lest he pick at an obvious wound. That kind of all-consuming white light… whose very image struck fear into his soul. Niven didn’t need a background in magic to understand that it wasn’t something to be done lightly.

Was that why it's in 'the worst state it has ever been'?

Though... a being of such caliber was willing to die with Apollyon… and Apollyon somehow lived through that…

“But you have to admit, it’s quite beautiful, right? To recreate such a divine pattern is something worth trying, don’t you think?” Apollyon mused, as though taken back to the moment it had happened.

Niven wasn't too keen on sharing such a sentiment. Rather than beautiful or worthy of being replicated, he'd much rather never experience even an image of it again. He had no words to describe his current mood.

Melancholy at the idea a world had been destroyed before his eyes? Awe at the sheer magnitude of the power displayed? Chagrin at how petty his problems looked in comparison?

Why don’t you do it, then? Niven wanted to complain, but he wisely replied, “No, I don’t want to play with my life just yet.”

His mission was that of making peace, not burning everything down. While he was disappointed in high command, and also held a deep hatred for whoever directed the supplicant to his outpost, he didn’t hold a grudge against the world. His thoughts weren't so extreme.

Or rather, he didn’t hold much of a grudge against his homeland. The Heavenbound Theocracy was still quite good to him, despite everything that had happened. Deaths in battle were natural. It was just the manner in which everyone around him died that he despised.

“Well, just remember. The offer will stand so long as you are with me. If you ever feel like dying with someone else, this is about as secure a way as you can possibly get.”

Niven wasn’t all too convinced that he would be needing it, but it was indeed another option. He wouldn’t swear against learning it as there was no way of knowing where the wind blew. Although, he did have one idea that he humored.

“How about with you?” Niven joked. However, he knew within himself that he wasn't so crazy about freedom that he was willing to die for it. He had willingly accepted this arrangement from the beginning and had no regrets bubbling under the surface.

“Hah, good one! But didn’t I say I was on the receiving end of it? The one that first initiated that cleansing light was leagues above you. If I can calmly suggest it, knowing I'd probably be the closest thing to you - being your weapon and all - you should already understand that I am confident,” Apollyon chided. “Work harder. As you are now, you aren’t qualified to even scratch me even if you give all that you have.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Niven put his hands up and relented. The thing was that, right now, he didn’t have an overwhelming hatred towards any particular person. With what he understood now, his enemy was still nebulous and could even be more than one. Everything was up in the air.

Without a target to concentrate his resolve, he was just venting his sorrows into the cold, unfeeling sky. Even emotions had a limit.

Maybe when he knew more, maybe then he would take Apollyon on its offer. But right now, he just wasn’t interested in trying.

The other things it offered that he had accepted were dangerous and incomprehensible for him, yes. Contacting the System with its method was a risk, but it was controlled, as he knew Apollyon had a deeper understanding of it than him. Therefore, he trusted it during those times.

But while proposing its current offer it had expressly stated that such an attack was pure guesswork. As such, this was just regarded by Niven as small talk to pass the time. Perhaps that was what these transcended entities found humor in.

Just, it had the potential to come in handy in the future.

With conversations of a similar inconsequential vein - though none of the others touching upon such apocalyptic topics - to pass the time, they were able to cover a lot of ground. The days of progress and nights of rest and vigil passed about as smoothly as it could with his luck - the occasional skirmish readily repelled by Niven and Apollyon.

Niven even obtained a level during this period.

Level Up! You are now Level 11

+1 Str, Con, Dex, Int, Wis rewarded due to Class: Weaponmaster

+1 Free Point rewarded due to Class: Weaponmaster

The free point was put into Dexterity, as currently, all he needed to do was get Apollyon into an enemy. Its burst of sharp tendrils was enough to take out all the things he had encountered. Niven had tried putting the point into luck first so that he could at least get himself out of the pit, but it wasn't possible.

Guess the 'free point' wasn't so free after all.

Otherwise, strength wasn’t much of an issue, as Apollyon penetrated regardless of how much effort was put in, and although constitution was nice, his current number was enough for now. Plus, worse comes to worst, Apollyon could heal him.

Mental stats like Int and Wis could wait until he was in a better position to actually learn magic. Even then, based on how he used mana when he was taught by Apollyon, he didn’t have much issue channeling it.

He also already had a massive mana pool for his level, and regeneration wasn’t much of an issue. The side bonuses like the boost in processing power and the like were rather ephemeral, and he didn’t have much of a reference for how much it would help.

At least gaining back his 3 Int and 3 Wis didn’t make a noticeable difference. He supposed that the same could be said for Dex, but it was more relevant for his current fighting style.

Landing the first throw was the difference between scrambling around to retrieve it before he could throw again all while dodging the enraged enemy or ending the encounter then and there.

During this time, Apollyon also taught Niven how to use [U][Camouflage], which was surprisingly similar to [U][Storage], just channeling mana into it and letting it do the rest. It had floated the idea of teaching him other things later so that his repertoire would not be wholly dependent on it, but they hadn't reached a safe enough location for him to receive more dedicated lessons.

Otherwise, [Camoflage] was simple enough. It helped that his current status was so different from his past one, so all he needed to hide was his name. Even if anyone identified him, he could pass quite reasonably as a traveling adventurer - nonaligned people who awakened a status.

And adventuring was also a path he had once considered, so it wasn't too abrupt for him to play the role of one. It was a life rife with unknowns, so Niven didn’t choose to become one back then. Especially because he was so young and was without a proper tutor who could teach him how to fight.

To do so regardless of those facts was to seek death, and he was smart enough to recognize his own shortcomings. All in all, was rather fortunate to have made that choice back then, as he would come to know after joining the military that the Heavenbound Theocracy was extremely centralized.

There was hardly any soup to be drunk by those nonaligned parties, with most large-scale hunting grounds under direct administration. The undocumented or uncontrolled wildlife areas was enough for most to advance to Tier 3, but that was about the limit.

Of course, there were always exceptions, but Niven wasn’t delusional enough to think he was fated to become one of those lucky few back then. Though perhaps with what he knew now about his old luck, he actually could have probably made it.

Regardless, his passing interest in the profession should be enough for him to pass off as one to people that didn't look into him too closely.

And even if he couldn’t, [Camoflage] would allow him to simply start over from a new identity with the learning experience from the failed attempt.

...

Eventually, they crossed a certain threshold, and the surroundings were looking less and less like a sandy desert.

Solid, stable ground was beneath his feet, and the greenery had exploded exponentially. As they kept making their way forward, they even saw trees and independent small critters, an utterly alien sight within the Divide. The harsh and empty environment there led quite naturally to gigantism and eusociality.

Niven felt that it would not be long before they approached one of the low-lying villages. Stopping at one was an option, but it was best not to stay long.

Apollyon had stated that it was best to use them to get used to using [U][Camouflage] and his newly decided identity, Levin. Even if there wasn't much need to change his name currently, as Niven was unlikely to show up on the radar of anyone of import, it was still good to get practice in for when he inevitably needed to disguise himself more thoroughly.

There wasn’t much he needed to change, just practice staying consistent about his fabricated background. Though simple, it was these tiny things that gave people away when it mattered, or so Apollyon said.