Chapter 286: Amun Ra

A massive explosion rocked the chamber. The shockwave tore through the space like a cannon blast, shaking the stone foundations and sending a cascade of dust and debris raining down from the cracked ceiling. Thalion didn’t see what had happened to Ankhet. His own shield shattered beneath the pressure, and he was hurled like a ragdoll against the wall behind him. For a moment, the world went silent except for the faint ringing in his ears.

Hopefully, that would be the last time.

Despite the bruises and internal damage, Thalion remained conscious. His soul, empowered by regenerative energies, accelerated the healing process. Within two minutes, he was back on his feet, grimacing as his joints popped back into place. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, only to watch it vanish as it was reabsorbed by the Sanguis Impera. A practical gift, he noted.

Then he saw Ankhet.

He lay broken on the ground. His chest was crushed inward, and thick black blood poured from every orifice. Cracks spiderwebbed across his skin where ruptured vessels had burst under the sheer pressure. His body twitched involuntarily, but his mind was already gone.

"Good design," Thalion muttered, his lips curling into a grin.

It was time to finish him and move deeper into the palace—or catacomb, or whatever subterranean labyrinth this was. Thalion still wasn’t sure where he had ended up. What he did know was that returning above to deal with the undead horde wasn’t an option until he had recovered. And to do that, Ankhet had to die.

He shifted forms, taking on the broken yet functional shell of the Eclipsari. His current body was too damaged, but the elemental soul fused with this form remained intact and it could command his partially regenerated mana pool with precision. The elemental didn’t hesitate. Black tendrils burst from Thalion’s flesh, snaking forward like sentient spears.

Ankhet tried to gasp, but the sound was little more than a wet gurgle. His lungs had collapsed, and his jaw was shattered. Thalion only noticed now how slack and lopsided it hung.

The tendrils struck without mercy.

They pierced Ankhet’s flesh and burrowed into his core, unraveling muscle, bone, and spirit alike. His body convulsed, and then, just before his skull was claimed, a sudden transformation overtook him. The essence within his broken frame ignited. In a flash of blinding light, Ankhet’s head and the arm that had resisted absorption, disintegrated into radiant particles.

Thalion’s heart sank. Another trick?

Then a soft chime echoed in his mind.

You have slain Ankhet Level 80

He blinked. His mouth curled slowly into a grin. Relief flooded through him like a warm tide.

Finally.

He had made it. No longer was he behind. He had triumphed against a divine-class opponent and emerged victorious. Evolution now awaited him. This... this was the perfect outcome.

But the moment didn’t last.

An image shimmered into existence in the center of the chamber. A man emerged. Not physically, but projected like a divine echo. His skin was dark and smooth as obsidian, adorned with golden rings in his ears, nose, and hair. He wore a white and gold kilt and bore the burning eyes of a god. Yellow irises blazed like twin suns, just like Ankhet’s had in his final moments.

The man looked young, no older than thirty, but his presence was ancient. His voice echoed through the space, resonant and clear.

“My name is Amun Ra. Hear my message well, for your time is running out.”

The chamber fell still. Even the flickering flames froze in reverence.

“I have discovered the truth behind the System and its true purpose.”

He paused, letting the weight of those words settle. Thalion remained silent, too stunned and too exhausted to speak.

He had often wondered. What was the true nature of the System? A cosmic game? A simulation? A way to grant power to mortals for divine amusement? After all, it had taken entire worlds, rewritten the laws of reality, and given them superpowers.

To Thalion, it had been a miracle. A curse. A thrill.

He could soar above clouds, dive into crystal oceans, race faster than any human ever had. It had gifted him shapeshifting, evolution, power. Surely there was purpose in that?

Or was it all entertainment for forces beyond comprehension?

Amun-Ra continued, and Thalion’s breath caught in his throat.

"The system is its own pocket dimension with its own rules. That’s something you’ve probably already figured out, but it’s much grander than that.

So far, all seemed fine. Thalion thought to himself as he listened to the probably dead god. Had he not found means similar to Ankhet’s to survive? Well, he had used Ankhet to deliver this message, so it was likely he had his own plans. But what did Thalion really know? He was in too much pain and too exhausted to care about the details. He could always think about them later.

"This is not all. The system grows over time by integrating new planets and the lifeforms on them. At its core, the system contains some kind of engine capable of generating endless energy, which is then used to grant you all those new powers and abilities. Haven’t you ever wondered why the system does that for you? It gives you the most valuable resource in the multiverse: time."
Amun ended with a question. Thalion had no real answer. It seemed rhetorical anyway, or maybe this entire vision was just some sort of recording, because Amun continued after a brief pause, not waiting for a reply.

"Of course, it doesn’t do this out of gratitude or kindness. Have you ever wondered why there are so many life-and-death trials, especially early on? The system’s true goal is to breed powerful gods. Now, you're probably wondering why it would want to do that. To put it bluntly, the system is nothing more than a slaughterhouse, and we are the pigs being fattened until the time comes. Or, in another analogy. A greenhouse, and we are the sprouts."

"Wait a moment. What did I just hear?" Thalion thought, panic and exhaustion battling for control in his mind.

"An enormous empire built and now controls the system. After an extremely long period, the system will harvest itself, killing you in the process. This empire is ruled by incredibly powerful gods, and resources are scarce. They use the system and us, to obtain high-rarity resources without putting in much effort. I, of course, was among the first to realize what was happening and tried to escape. But our souls are marked."

"The system is shielded. No powerful entity born outside of it can enter. And likewise, once you reach a certain power level, you can no longer leave. The further you evolve, the more complex the seal on your soul becomes. It’s a mark only visible to oneself, and no one else can help you remove it. I suspect the only real chance to break it is early on. I couldn’t destroy mine, and I doubt any other god can. I wasn’t even close to freeing myself from the system."
Amun’s projection dimmed slightly, after those words.

Thalion stood silently in front of the projection, eyes wide, body frozen in shock. This had to be a joke, right? And yet... it made an awful lot of sense. Why would the system give something for free? When he had traveled to the Golden Palace, he’d noticed some kind of barrier inscribed with runes when he left the system, so that definitely fit.

"How can I destroy or even see the seal on my soul?" Thalion asked, his voice hoarse. The exhaustion from the fight was hitting him hard now. He would have liked nothing more than to lie down and sleep, but some ancient pinnacle god was currently delivering possibly the most important information he’d ever hear. So, better to listen.
Unfortunately, the god did not answer his question. It was probably just a recording after all. The fact that this guy had managed to embed such a recording into his disciple’s soul was pretty insane.

"Soon, war will erupt. I have injured myself trying to break the seal, and the other gods will see their chance to kill me and take what’s mine. I hope you’ll manage what I could not. The best advice I can give you is this: take as much time as possible before evolving. The higher the rarity of your class, the better your chances. Just in case you didn’t know. When you reach divine rarity in your class or race, the system grants you eternal life, like a god. But the seal will still be as weak as any being of that rank. That’s your only real chance of breaking free from the system. Of course, there is one other option...

Running away."

"You can learn to create portals that lead outside the system to other dimensions. The problem is, it requires a great deal of power to open such a portal, if you want leave with your whole body. You either need to conquer a large territory or get help from someone strong. There’s one potential issue I can’t confirm: the seal might still bind you to the system. When the harvest begins, it may pull you back in, just like all the others, no matter where you are.

Be aware that even A- and S-grade individuals cannot leave the system. You must act before that time if you want to live a long life. Also, know this: the status screen disappears once you’re outside the system. If you want to survive out there, you’ll need to learn how to cast your skills without it. That can take a very long time depending on the skill, but it’s entirely possible. Outside the system, everyone does it and the key to achieving that is actually hidden within the skills themselves."

Amun-Ra paused again. The image dimmed even further. The next few sentences would likely be his last.
What he said about being unable to use skills outside the system was true, so the chances that the rest of it was also true were high.
Man, life really sucked sometimes.
Thalion seriously needed to reconsider his evolution. His goal had always been to become a god and live forever but if the system planned to kill him, that clearly wasn’t going to happen.

Also, the voice of the system had mentioned that even if he gained less experience per kill, it would still count toward his evolution as if there were never an EXP malus in the first place. So if he ever had a good chance to reach a divine class... it was now, right?

His attention snapped back to Amun’s fading image as the god began to speak again.
Would he really have gone through all this trouble if he’d known only Thalion would hear this speech, buried deep within some ancient catacomb?
The thought was oddly amusing to Thalion, whose mind was still foggy from the battle.

"Now that I think about it, when the harvest draws closer, the system might start blocking C-grades and late-stage D-grades as well. Be careful. I went through great lengths to give you this information, so please spread it far and wide. I hope your dreams come true and that you can one day break the shackles of the system. Good luck and may Sergas watch over you."

With those final words, the image of Amun-Ra disappeared, as if he had never existed, leaving a dazed and surprised Thalion behind, slowly starting to realize that this was all... a bit much to take in right now.



<author note>

Good fucking morning everybody.

So here we are with the first big information drop. I serously have waited so long to upload this chapter you have no idea.

Okay not only this one but the next two too because at the moment it is just the tip of the iceberg.

I have to admit when i planed this all out i would have never expected that it would take me almost 300 chapters to get here.

We have a very interesting week ahead. Tomorrow is system shop time where even more information will be revealed.

Cheers

<author note>