Chapter 293: Treason If We Fail, Revolution If We Succeed (7)

The cold snapped Keter awake. A shiver ran straight through his bones, and it felt as if needles were piercing his body all over. It was natural that he was cold since he had been lying outside half-naked in the dead of winter. However, to Keter, cold felt different.

“Haa...”

It was strange yet familiar. When Keter was young, the thing he feared the most was the cold. Winter terrified him, only second to hunger. The summers in Liqueur were incredibly hot, but it was at least bearable if he walked around naked since no sunlight reached Liqueur. However, the cold in Liqueur froze to the core.

That was why as soon as Keter had money, he bought thick winter clothes, and once he learned to regulate his body temperature with aura, he made sure he could no longer feel the cold.

“I’m drained.”

This was the price for recklessly using Mandala, thinking that regression would nullify the penalties. Even his aura, mana, and Ein, the very things that made a Superhuman a Superhuman, were completely drained.

“Well, I’m alive because of it, so it’s not a total loss.”

Keter’s head throbbed. His body felt heavy as lead, and his vision kept blurring.

This is the worst. How long has it been since I last felt so weak?

Keter felt like he had gone back to the days when he was weak, which irritated him, but a part of him felt strangely nostalgic.

“If someone wanted to kill me, now would be the perfect moment.”

Right now, Keter didn’t even have enhanced senses, so he had no way of knowing if anybody was around. Of course, even without those abilities, he could instinctively tell there was no one around. Instinct wasn’t part of aura or mana, after all.

Keter glanced around. The sun was still up, but judging by its angle, darkness would fall within the hour.

“Nights come faster in the mountains.”

Keter placed a hand on his stomach.

“At least I wasn’t out for more than a day.”

If he had been unconscious for over a day, his stomach would be completely empty.

“Though honestly, I might’ve frozen to death first.”

Keter chuckled, wondering how people would react if news spread that he froze to death.

“Ugh... so cold.”

Keter could feel his aura and mana slowly trickling back. He could have driven the cold out instantly, but he let it linger a bit longer. He tucked his hands under his arms, as heat was mostly lost through the hands and feet.

“Walking there feels like such a hassle.”

In this condition, Keter had to walk on foot to where Jordic, whom he had taken hostage, was. Even if he walked briskly, it would take thirty minutes, maybe five if he ran. He could arrive in ten seconds if he used a movement technique, but he started walking instead.

“Walking reminds me of the old days, and it helps me organize my thoughts.”

Of course, he could no longer recall the mindset of the weak Keter he once was. The current him was closer to a monster than a human. He had come too far—so far that even without borrowing the power of aura, most swords could no longer pierce his skin. Before he realized it, he had already adapted to the cold, and it no longer felt cold at all.

“It seems I’m at three percent of usual Keter?”

No matter how good one’s natural regeneration was, there was no way of regaining lost fingers, toes, arms, or legs. The only choices were to accept their fate and live with one leg and arm, or wear a prosthetic limb.

“It would be possible with today’s technology, but it was impossible back then.”

He had grafted other people’s body parts onto himself, and even pieces from monsters. Still, none of it showed. Franken’s body modification techniques were far from crude; they blended seamlessly into his skin, making them appear as though they had always been part of him from the very beginning.

“Ah, thinking about it now is funny... I once grafted a body part and ended up developing allergies I never had. Nearly died eating shrimp.”

The thought of shrimp brought back more memories. In Liqueur, shrimp were outrageously expensive; a single bite-sized shrimp cost a gold coin. It was natural, as Liqueur was just a fog-shrouded, isolated city with no rivers or oceans. How could one get shrimp there? It wasn’t impossible, but extremely difficult.

Anyway, back then, Keter’s dream was simple: eat shrimp until he was satisfied. And once he started making good money, he fulfilled that dream immediately by buying a hundred shrimp and devouring them.

“Dork was with me too.”

The thought of Daat made Keter laugh. Back then, Daat was like a hissing feral cat.

In the end, neither Keter nor Daat finished the hundred shrimp. It wasn’t because they were dragged into a fight or because they were scammed—it was because they got sick of it.

“It really tasted amazing at first...”

But the more they ate, the less special it became. Eventually, just the smell of shrimp made them gag.

“Didn’t touch shrimp for a long while after that. But then we tried it again one day, and it was delicious again.”

It was unclear why Keter was suddenly reflecting on that memory. Perhaps it was some kind of self-reflection.

“To be happy, you first have to understand what unhappiness is.”

If Keter was born a noble who could eat shrimp every day, would eating shrimp to his heart’s desire have been a dream of his? Would he have cried tears of joy at a mountain of shrimp? Though he did get sick of it eventually, the happiness he felt in that moment was real.

“You can’t avoid misfortune just because it’s unpleasant to look at.”

Ignoring a problem didn’t make it disappear; it just meant that it wasn’t being faced directly.

One could escape misfortune momentarily by running away from it, but as soon as one stopped, they would be forced to face it.

“Keter... what are you even talking about?”

Keter thought that he must have unconsciously used his movement technique, as Jordic’s voice suddenly came from right beside him.

“Shh. I’m on the verge of enlightenment.”

“...!”

“I thought I had confronted all the misfortune I was given... but when I think about it, I really didn’t.”

In his previous life, he had avoided Sefira, avoided confronting the Godfather as an enemy, and avoided contact with divine beings out of fear, all because he thought they would put him at a disadvantage. Of course, he couldn’t say for certain that those things were the spark that ultimately caused him to fail in his revenge and be killed in the end, but...

“But I betrayed my own principles.”

The belief that he would “live freely” meant living as he pleased, but at the same time, it also meant accepting any situation willingly and adapting to survive. In essence, he had resolved to live his life according to the principle of survival of the fittest.

But in his previous life, he rejected that resolve. Instead of settling his relationship with Sefira, he kept postponing it. He maintained a lukewarm, ambiguous relationship with the Godfather, merely testing the waters, and when he came into contact with divine beings, he felt fear because they were unlike any humans he had faced before, and so he avoided them.

“Causality, huh.”

Maybe the causality of his past life dragged him to his death—because Keter took the freedom he enjoyed for granted, without taking responsibility for it.

And now, Keter sensed that he was standing at the exact same crossroads as before.

Did I live properly in this life? Did I take responsibility for my freedom?

On the surface, maybe, but nothing had truly changed. Keter helped Sefira, but only moderately. If he had sincerely intended to help, he would’ve given them the secrets of Limitless Archery.

His relationship with the Godfather was the same—he was neither an enemy nor an ally. Keter was able to act a little more boldly because of his experience from his past life, but he still feared the Godfather.

Only now had he finally decided to turn against the Godfather, but it was like locking the barn after the horse had already fled. Facing Queen Lillian was already difficult, and the fear of making the Godfather an enemy as well had created the very situation he found himself in now.

“The more you run from fear, the bigger it grows by feeding on that fear.”

Keter knew that; it was what kept him alive in Liqueur. But somewhere along the line, he forgot because he got too arrogant.

“I won’t forget again.”

Keter felt the gaze of the others on him. When he turned, he saw Rajis and the others stare at him nervously. They were good people, and good people deserved a reward.

“So in conclusion, I’ve decided to become even more insane.”

“...?!”

“You’re becoming more insane?”

“Keter, did you just achieve enlightenment and become a Prime?”

Jordic blurted out a stupid question, but Keter let it slide. This was a good moment, after all.

“If someone says they’ve attained enlightenment, then it’s not enlightenment, idiot.”

“...?”

Jordic and the others looked completely lost, but Rajis’ eyes widened.

As expected—opportunity only goes to those prepared.

* * *

After declaring grandly that he would become an even greater madman, Keter immediately left the southern region. He didn’t care whether the Family War had ended or not, nor whether monopolizing information would make people suspect he was a regressor. He moved as efficiently and quickly as possible, leaving behind no trace.

This was Flickering Shadow Step, a technique that launched the user like an arrow. It was the pinnacle of Agile Footwork. The drawback was that it was so fast that turning was impossible, but since he was running through the unobstructed sky, that hardly mattered.

“Here we are.”

Keter stopped on a colossal mountain made entirely of stone and forest. At first glance it looked ordinary, yet something extraordinary radiated from it. Its shape resembled a giant kneeling on one knee, so massive it looked as if it could at any moment raise its head, pierce the sky, and reach into outer space.

“Amazing.”

This mountain, named the Primordial Giant, was infamous for its rare herbs and frequent appearances of Named Monsters. Even now, predatory gazes filled with killing intent were fixed on Keter from all directions. They were true apex predators of the wild, creatures capable of hunting even Master-level knights. But Keter dismissed them without a second thought, as he hadn’t come all this way just to deal with mere beasts.

Landing near the stone giant’s forehead, Keter drew in a deep breath.

“Malfite, Guardian of the Terra Ring, I have come to undergo the Trial of Strength.”

At that moment, the ground began to rumble. A presence that hadn’t existed a moment earlier suddenly emerged. Nothing in Keter’s surroundings appeared to change, but that was only because it was the mountain itself, or rather what he had thought was a mountain, that had moved.

—It has been centuries since a challenger last came. State your name.

“Keter.”

—Challenger Keter, do you understand what you seek here?

“The Terra Ring, one of the Five Element Relics.”

The Five Element Relics embodied the five elements: fire, water, wood, metal, and earth. Collecting all five was said to grant the power to slay gods. Keter had come specifically for the Terra Ring.

—Do you know what trial you must face?

“I know that every Transcendental who challenged it for hundreds of years died.”

Thanks to his memories from his previous life, he knew that this was where the trial for the Terra Ring could be taken, but he had no idea what the trial actually entailed because there had never been a survivor.

Everyone died, including the Primes.

A trial capable of killing even a Prime. It seemed excessive for the sake of obtaining a single artifact, but Keter had decided he would no longer run from fear. He absolutely needed the Terra Ring, one of the Five Element Relics, and every other artifact he could possibly acquire as well.

Rumble!!!

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The mountain shuddered like laughter, strong enough to start a landslide.

—Very well... a challenger prepared for death. The trial to obtain the Terra Ring is simple.

Rumble...!!

Brrr!!!

The entire mountain seemed to shift, but it was just Malfite lifting his arm. Then, a shadow fell over Keter. When he glanced up, a donut-shaped object floated over his head.

—Challenger Keter. I will grant you the Terra Ring. You just need to take it.

Keter laughed dryly.

“You’re not telling me this thing is the Terra Ring, right?”

It was so massive that he couldn’t even take in its full size with both eyes. It was so enormous that it didn’t resemble a ring, nor anything that could be called ring-shaped; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it was made from an entire mountain. Keter could feel its overwhelming weight through his skin.

—Fear not. I will not drop it. Reach up. If your palm touches it, I will release the ring. If you are not crushed beneath it, the Terra Ring is yours.

“What a wonderfully simple trial.”

It was a mountain-sized ring. If he could take it, it was his.

As if that were actually possible.

“Well, this is the kind of trial that makes it one of the Five Element Relics.”

Keter didn’t know exactly what abilities the Terra Ring possessed, but he knew well that it held a unique power found nowhere else. That alone was enough. If he could challenge it, he would.

Keter extended his palm toward the sky. In response, the mountain, claiming to be the Terra Ring, slowly descended. Even in that simple motion, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on him, as if his entire body were being crushed.

At last, Keter’s palm touched the underside of Toban. From the outside, it looked as though an ant had been pinned beneath the sole of a human’s boot.

“Wow. Holy shit.”

He had actually been a bit puzzled about how no seven-star Prime, who possessed near-infinite aura, had succeeded in obtaining the Terra Ring. Keter realized the answer firsthand.

“It absorbs aura. Of course it does.”

It absorbed not only aura, but also mana, and even Ein.

“So I’m supposed to lift this mountain ring with pure physical strength?”

—Challenger Keter, are you prepared? Are you prepared to regret the arrogance of a human who dares to face a trial meant for demigods?

Malfite mocked him. Keter trembled, not from fear but from excitement. In the face of danger, exhilaration surged through him, and his blood felt as if it were boiling. To survive, every memory and every ounce of latent power erupted at once. The death looming before him pushed his potential to its absolute limit. If he failed, he would simply die; there was nothing to regret.

“You talk too much for someone who can’t do anything unless someone comes looking for you.”

—...Die.

Malfite let go of the ring, blatantly telling him to die. In that instant, the image of the teacher who taught him Heavenly Strength flashed before Keter’s eyes.

“Heavenly Force has no names until Level...Six! It is because they... are still human stages! However, from Level Seven onward, it transcends humanity and gains glorious... titles! Keter! You have talent, so remember this! The name of Heavenly Force: Level Seven is...”

Heavenly Prison unleashed.