Yog had awakened, but Ian did not immediately ask for help as he had before.

Maybe this is a chance to try something myself.

He couldn’t keep relying on something that was likely to betray him. Besides, even if he didn’t yet know how to awaken it properly, he had an alternative.

Thump... thump...

Ignoring the resonance of the essence bead, Ian began sinking deep within himself.

He was searching for his divinity. It had to be somewhere, buried deep within his subconscious.

—Why no response, my friend? Don’t tell me that you’re actually thinking of breaking free from the shackles?

Yog, too, wouldn’t want Ian to fuse with chaos or be devoured by it just yet. If things truly became dangerous, it would have no choice but to step in.

Yog’s whispers, presence, and the essence bead’s resonance gradually began to fade.

At last, Ian discovered a small pool gathered in the middle of endless darkness. Of course, it wasn't truly real, merely an image formed by his mind.

He focused his awareness on the pool. The moment he focused, ripples spread across its still surface, thick and viscous, and a clear, glass-like chime echoed through his inner world.

—Oh, so that’s it. That’s what you were trying to use. Not a bad idea, I’ll give you that...

The faint whisper continued; Yog must have sensed the disturbance spreading deep within him.

Ian kept his focus on the pool of divinity. The ripples grew into a trembling, layered, and overlapping vibration, as if multiple waves were colliding.

—Unless you’re planning to burn away the chaos pooled in this gap, my friend, the divinity within your vessel of causality isn’t enough to seal that rift.

However, he couldn’t ignore Yog forever. As Yog’s whisper grew clearer, the waves of divinity began to fade.

—And besides, it’s irritating and downright disgusting. Let’s take a simpler and more certain approach, my friend.

In the next moment, his sinking consciousness surged upward against his will.

The resonance of the essence bead and the cold, smooth sensation coiling tightly around his awareness became vivid again.

—Let me take control of your essence bead. If we drag this out any longer, things might actually get dangerous.

Along with the subtle whisper, a quest window appeared in the center of his vision.

[Seal the Rift.]

It was a choice quest.

Taking in the brief description, Ian clicked his tongue.

I was so close.

Still, it wasn’t a complete loss. For the first time, he had reached the divinity within himself and even managed to awaken it, if only for a moment.

Whether he could do it again once his senses fully returned was uncertain, but it was a step forward.

And the rewards weren’t bad either. A fair amount of experience, one skill point, and a question mark.

Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got.

Ian accepted the quest.

Yog’s quiet, amused laughter brushed against his mind.

—This might sting a little... don’t be surprised...

Ian felt its fangs sink into him. In the next instant, the suppressed resonance of the essence bead convulsed violently, shaking in erratic bursts.

Thump... thump... thump—

Yog’s form writhed around Ian’s consciousness.

He quickly realized what it was doing. It was devouring the chaos contained within his essence bead.

Even within this illusion where only his consciousness remained, the vividness of these sensations struck him again.

Swoosh—

Yog grew colder and colder. The convulsing essence bead began to spew out chaos, and the raging vortex surrounding them subsided.

Whoosh—

Right after that, the dense fog of chaos began to spin in the opposite direction. This was more than a change in direction; it was being pushed away, receding as if driven back.

Only then did Ian realize an ominous violet hue was slowly spreading around him.

Is this Yog?

Shadows writhed faintly within that eerie glow. Either way, the danger of being devoured by the essence bead had disappeared. If anything, Yog was now the one devouring the chaos instead.

Thump... thump...

As the essence bead let out a desperate, thrashing resonance, the vortex of chaos surged outward and drifted farther away.

Beyond it, a vast abyss appeared, studded with countless stars. A creeping violet light stretched across it like tendrils, slowly consuming everything in its path.

So this really was an event meant for players with a maximum level of corruption.

Through it, one could likely be reborn as a complete demon or gain another form of chaotic power.

Of course, the event could also be triggered by accumulating a certain level of divinity or becoming a celestial avatar.

Thump... thump...

Either way, even if the conditions hadn’t been met back then, it probably wouldn’t have been this much of a problem. He could have just restarted after a game over or resolved it by installing a mod, like now.

Swoosh—

The violet light that had been staining the darkness like countless tendrils suddenly shot outward in all directions at once.

It almost felt like a sea urchin covered in ominous violet spines. Those spines pierced the waves of chaos that had been pushed far away, causing them to churn violently.

Crack... crack...

As an unsettling sound echoed from beyond, Yog’s whisper followed slowly.

—Next time you try something this interesting, I’d appreciate it if you consulted me first, my friend. As I told you before, your chaos has already finished preparing to merge with you.

Even while suppressed, its tone remained annoyingly composed.

I didn’t expect it to turn out like this either, Ian thought somewhat awkwardly. If he could, he would have clicked his tongue.

Crack... crack—

The ominous violet hue flickering and spreading through the clouds was likely his chaos.

The waves of chaos that had been surging outward began to be swallowed by pitch-black darkness.

Is that the edge of the rift?

Ian realized that the violet spikes Yog had released were embedded throughout the encroaching darkness. His chaos was pulling in the edges of the rift.

—Unfortunately, I don’t think I can seal it completely, my friend. There’s not enough chaos. And it’s far more difficult than expected.

Yog’s voice was strained now, accompanied by a faint, writhing sensation.

—Still, this should be enough. We can aim for the rest another time...

Of course, Ian neither criticized nor complained. He knew Yog was doing everything it could. After all, the essence bead’s resonance had already quieted down.

Swoosh—

Even so, the darkness pressed in from all sides, swallowing the abyss.

The chaos spikes stretching outward vanished beyond it, and his vision was consumed by darkness.

And then, the darkness swallowed him whole.

Flick—

For an instant, a brilliant violet light flared.

The waves of chaos that had spread in a circular pattern faded into the darkness as if dissolving, leaving only the cold, smooth sensation wrapped around his consciousness.

—Then, let’s head back, my friend.

A softer, more languid whisper tinged with laughter echoed in his mind.

And in the very next moment, the world flipped upside down.

Ding... ding... ding...

A distant, muffled bell rang in his ears.

Ian collapsed forward. "Cough! Ugh... hack—!"

Reflexively clutching whatever he struck with his face, Ian coughed violently. The world spun, and a deep chill seeped into his bones.

Even through his blurred vision, one thing remained perfectly clear, as always—the quest completion window.

"Huff— Huff—"

Closing the window, Ian let out a rough breath. Just as he began to notice steam rising faintly from him, a low chuckle echoed in his mind.

—Ah, looks like I can’t hold on any longer. Don’t look so disappointed, my friend. I should be fine after a short rest...

The tone was languid and relaxed—yet strangely warm, almost as if it would never betray him.

It also meant what he had wanted to ask was delayed yet again, but Ian didn’t mind. Without Yog, he wouldn’t have been able to seal the rift or even get the quest.

Snort...

As the dizziness and chill subsided, Ian realized that what he was clinging to was Nila’s nape. Nila slightly raised its neck and turned its head, clearly making sure he wouldn’t fall.

"Thanks, Nila," Ian muttered as he slightly lifted his head and looked up past its mane, gently patting the nape he was holding.

Nila didn’t move, only letting out another quiet snort.

"Ian! Are you back to your senses?"

The sound of approaching hooves came from behind, followed by Thesaya’s voice. Letting out a long breath, Ian lifted his head from where it had been buried in Nila’s mane.

"You suddenly went like that again—you scared us!"

Moro came to a stop a short distance away, and Thesaya, seated on its saddle, said, "If you were going to start something before we even arrived, you could’ve at least warned us."

"I didn’t even have the chance. It wasn’t intentional," Ian replied, barely straightening himself, with a bitter smile.

"It wasn’t? Then... did you fail to close the rift?"

Brushing back her flowing silver hair, Thesaya looked up at the sky.

"Ever since you collapsed, the sky’s been getting more and more ominous. Still is."

That can’t be right.

Ian looked up as well. Thesaya wasn’t entirely wrong. The dark clouds, once calm as the eye of a storm, were now churning wildly.

Realizing the reason at once, Ian curled one corner of his lips.

"That’s the aftermath of sealing the rift."

The ominous violet hue, faintly flickering and spreading through the clouds, was likely his chaos.

Only then did Thesaya nod and turn back to him. "Is that so? That’s a relief. I was seriously worried. Then does that mean the rift in the outskirts is completely gone now?"

"No, it’s not perfect. Yog helped, but I didn’t have enough chaos." Ian answered, looking ahead.

He had already realized his essence bead was completely drained. That was why it had fallen into total silence. Just as it had said, Yog had scraped together every last bit of chaos to seal the rift.

Thesaya let out a low chuckle and shrugged. "So that’s why that worm suddenly started whispering so weakly. Well, there is nothing we can do. At least part of it’s sealed."

"Either way, we still made it all the way here," Ian added quietly right after.

He now stood in the middle of a land covered in charred, blackened soil. Not even debris remained, yet he immediately recognized the place where the Labyrinth Mansion once stood.

"Figured getting closer to the source might help you, even a little. Nila here bravely walked straight into the middle; the rest of us stayed back," added Thesaya.

Ian turned to look behind them. Their carriage was parked alone on the outskirts. Sitting beside Lily in the driver’s seat, Miguel awkwardly raised one hand and called out.

"Uh, are you alright, brother?"

"I’m fine, as you can see. More importantly..."

However, Ian wasn’t even looking at him. His gaze swept past the carriage and came to a stop somewhere diagonally behind it.

"Since when did they start ringing the bells like that?"

The faint tolling still echoed in his ears. Beyond the rolling hills, faded walls and buildings came into view, along with the upper portion of a fortress.

"Right after you froze up and the sky started flashing like that. I mean, it’s only natural they’d be scared out of their minds, don’t you think?" Thesaya added calmly, running her hand through Moro’s mane while it stared at Nila.

"I don’t think they’re just scared," Ian said bluntly.

It was enough to make her hand stop mid-motion.

"What do you mean—...oh." Turning her head, she clicked her tongue. Her eyes narrowed just like his.

"Well, this is unexpected."

Beyond the gentle slope, a group of soldiers was approaching. Though still some distance away, it was easy to tell that more than half of them were militia.

"They’re charging out even after seeing that? Guess they still have some courage left."

"They probably think a corrupted one has arrived. If they don’t deal with it before it settles in, they’re all dead anyway," Ian muttered.

He licked his lips slightly as he took hold of the reins. "Well, either way, it looks like we won’t be leaving quietly."