A few seconds passed by in eerie silence, as Achylys remained trapped under the rubble. His mind, for once, was completely silent, his body itching all over from the injuries he had sustained. The weight of the debris crushing him felt too heavy, enough that he knew he would not be able to dig his way out in his current state.

  And then, just as he was about to just give up- he could probably survive for a few minutes without breathing, after which he’d die, and then just restart the run- he felt a sudden surge of energy coursing through his veins.

  It was a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The pain in his body started to recede, his bones knitting back together in a matter of seconds. Achylys blinked blankly as his flesh and muscle rapidly healed, taking a few seconds to understand what was happening to him.

  However, the notifications in front of his eyes didn’t seem related to the outerworld, more to his brain, so he was able to see them even within the absolute darkness. It was only when he read them fully did he understand what was happening. He had to admit though, it felt like some kind of miracle, a divine intervention that had saved him from certain death. Not that certain death really affected him at this point, but it was the spirit of the matter, really.

  He also noticed it made the itch in his lungs reduce noticeably- he could feel it already. Level twenty five had probably made him regain about 25% of his past strength already. So it seemed that he was around level hundred in his past life.

  Level twenty five had already lessened the need for him to breathe considerably. He could probably completely stop breathing at level hundred and still be fine for a few hours, just like in his past life.

  It was only when the awe and wonder wore off did he finally dig his way out, peeking out of the debris like a little squirrel. Well, probably more like a rod, with how he shot out straight up out of the debris, but it was the spirit of the matter, for god’s sake! Couldn’t a grown man want to be kawaii?

  His thoughts paused abruptly when he noticed what lay in front of him- a giant crater.

  As Achylys stood before the gaping maw of the enormous crater, it was as if time itself had come to a halt. The sheer size of it was unfathomable, stretching out as far as the eye could see, a vast expanse of barren wasteland, devoid of any sign of life. Not even a single tree could be spotted, for the very ground upon which they would have stood had been torn away, revealing the gaping maw of the earth's core beneath.

  The dirt that had once covered the surface had been lifted and thrown aside, as if by some colossal force. The walls of the crater were steep and jagged, as if they had been carved by some immense power, and they seemed to stretch on forever and ever, disappearing into the hazy distance.

  As he peered down into the depths of the crater, the chill of the air around him seemed to seep into his very bones. The void below seemed to be never-ending, stretching down and down until it became impossible to see. It was as if he was standing on the edge of the world, looking out into the infinite void of space beyond.

  As he stood there, lost in awe, Achylys couldn't help but wonder if there were any secrets hidden within the depths of the crater. Perhaps there was a hidden cave system, or maybe even something more mysterious and ancient. The possibilities were endless, and the curiosity burned within him like a flame.

  Maybe I should explore the crater? Who knows what’s in there? Maybe that’s my big next thing. Maybe that’s my next task! Achylys felt mock excitement filling his heart and he raised his fist into the air like an anime protagonist.

  “Whattt?” Achylys exclaimed. “It’s not?”

  Four of them this time? So I’ll only get a single point of providence from the kitty goddess after killing four of them? This…

  “I never thought I’d hear the word Gambare from you. I do get what you mean, though, System. Gambare I will. However, I’m curious. Who exactly is this Demise guy? I’d first noticed him in the information the Core gave of the Forest King, but it didn’t go too deep into him. And now, again, in this too, his name is mentioned once more.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Achylys looked at the System and the countless blood red ‘ERRORS’ blankly. Just who is this… Demise? His mind reeled as he tried to process what just happened. Till now, he’d operated on the preconception that the System was invincible, an authority greater than this world. But now, someone had been able to… break it. Not fully, but he was able to stop it from accessing information about him. Didn’t that mean the System was not the most absolute force of this world?

  Didn’t that mean someone was just as strong as the System?

  Didn’t that mean his immortality might also be broken?

  “Right.” Achylys muttered, taking a deep breath. Why was he even worrying about dying anyway? It wasn’t like he wasn’t prepared to die. All his life, if there was one thing Achylys had lived with the acceptance of, it was that he would die. His profession was a risky one, after all.

  Letting out a sigh, Achylys asked, “So there’s no way to get to know more about Demise?”

  Achylys nodded. “Where’s the nearest town? Or atleast, a place inhabited by intelligent beings with which I can communicate? Can you open the minimap and show me?” Then, he paused for a second, seemingly realizing something, “Also, will I have to learn a new language to be able to communicate with them?”

  As soon as Achylys nodded after he finished reading the System’s reply, the notifications all faded. Then, they were replaced by the all so familiar 3D minimap. As Achylys gazed upon the 3D minimap, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. The map that was usually filled with trees in all directions was nowhere to be found, which was only to be expected due to the crater, but he hadn’t quite processed the sheer size of the crater.

  No matter in which direction he flicked the map around, it was of no use. The dirt remained, taunting him with its uniformity. Well, the trees were the same, yes, but the brown color of the dirt just felt… wrong. Maybe it was because he’d gotten used to the trees and taken them for granted. Or maybe it was because it looked like a giant pile of never ending poop, but still.

  He furrowed his eyebrows. The scale, too. All the way from the place where the canyon had previously been to where he was, all that lay was dirt. For a solid amount of stretch in the other directions of the canyon too, all that was present was the crater.

  Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. He had four other Kings to kill, and now that the outside world was unlocked to him, he could also begin his search for Neveah on the side. Especially now that he knew that potentially strong threats such as Demise existed, he wanted to find Neveah as soon as possible. At least if he was by her side, he could… do something, anything, to protect her in case she falls into danger.

  The four red dots at the edges of the map were rather eye-catching. He had to kill all of them one by one if he wanted to regain his previous strength. If he went by the measurement of the Forest King and the amount of exp it gave him, even accounting for the later levels needing more exp, he should easily be able to reach the mid seventies by killing the bosses alone, let alone all the countless minions of theirs he had to kill.

  “It felt right.” Achylys replied. “I pulled it out of my ass.”

  Achylys merely smiled at the System’s remark, not quite knowing how to reply. What it said wasn’t quite… inaccurate. The shit he survived at DMHA, it made him wonder if he actually did have plot armor. If he was actually the main character though, the author of his books was quite the sadist, he had to say.

  “Moving on,” Achylys coughed gently. “Which direction do I go for a town?”

  Achylys tutted. “That works,” he couldn’t help but sigh, “This is the only one for which I don’t have to go through the crater, though.”

  “Would you not be, if you were denied the right to jump into a hole?”

  “Come on, don’t act like you wouldn’t jump into a hole that’s potentially god knows how deep.”

  “You realized that now?”

  The System didn’t reply at all this time.