Chapter 880
I Will Heal You
Eivass knew that Master Amber’s words were likely correct.
This was probably why the Wing Heavenly Envoy and the Ring Heavenly Envoy were pursuing the Eleventh Origin River—any power gained within the world could not surpass the world itself. Without breaking through the limit, it was naturally impossible to defy the laws.
This was because Eivass remembered all too clearly how “Eivass” in the game had died. When he was still relatively weak, he would even have such nightmares occasionally.
Ultimately, Eivass was killed by his adoptive brother, Edward, whom his adoptive father had brought. Under the guidance of his adoptive father, James, Edward had merged the dragon heart of the “Calamity Demon Dragon,” wielded the corrupted Broken Holy Sword “Excalibur,” and then absorbed three Heavenly Envoy Fragments. At that time, he had already surpassed the strength limit that this world could contain, to the point where even the Pillar Gods could not directly act against him in the Material Realm!
Thus, the Pillar Gods bestowed their Divine Artifacts upon the players to counter Moriarty.
Even so, confronting Edward remained an incredibly difficult task.
Was Edward stronger than the Pillar Gods? Of course not, but the Material Realm itself had a world limit anchored by the Hourglass. Even the strength of lower-tier Heavenly Envoys was inferior to Edward, who had stacked his strength. This was likely because when one approached the world’s limit, they would begin to be restricted by the Hourglass. The Heavenly Envoys’ own powers were suppressed, whereas a non-max-level Edward could instead unleash miraculous power that even transcended limits!
Looking back now, the Night Demon, who had reached the Sixth Tier through Eivass’s Shepherd’s Method, was also restricted by this; however, Master Amber, who could use Seventh Tier power, was not.
…So that’s how it is. It’s precisely that one cannot level up to the very top.
The final level could not be achieved through leveling up but had to be attained through various buffs. This allowed for the manifestation of miraculous power without being subject to the Hourglass’s forced equalization.
No wonder the Eternal Pope’s final level required the Supreme Holy Crown for enhancement…
But Eivass caught another detail in Master Amber’s words—he seemed to know that the level cap could be raised.
Even Professor James, who had come from another timeline, did not know this!
The Demon Scholars preparing for the Ouroboros Ring ritual likely also didn’t know that the principle behind their increasing energy levels was actually the world collectively raising its cap…
An ordinary person would never even consider such a possibility—the belief that the energy level cap in the Material Realm is the Sixth Tier is something that the deeper understanding of Occult one possesses, the more steadfastly one would believe it. This is because from the most ancient past to the present, this cap has never changed. It’s like how people don’t seriously consider “how would one survive if gravity reversed?”—it can at best be a “Possibility” for active thought.
Eivass cast a deep gaze at Master Amber, but Master Amber did not reply.
Instead, he shifted his gaze away and looked towards the ruins of the Sky-Piercing Tower ahead.
“Be careful,” Master Amber warned. “Since this period of history has been preserved intact, it indicates that there might… still be something operating within.”
“Will there be living people?” Little Cat asked nervously.
Master Amber shook his head. “Probably not… maybe.”
“…Maybe?” The Vagrant questioned. “What do you mean by ‘maybe’?”
“Preservation Technique also has its limits. Since the mages of that era could preserve this spacetime intact, it’s highly unlikely there are any living people inside. Because preserving a mortal with a short lifespan together would significantly increase the complexity.”
This was not Master Amber’s response, but rather Encyclopedia, who was a Dream Traveling Monk. Clearly, the knowledge he had gathered should also include some scriptures related to “Preservation Technique.” “It’s like how preserving a piece of meat for a few months requires a refrigerator to freeze it. Such a sealed, cold environment can preserve food for a long time. If the ‘Wind’ and ‘Water’ elements, which symbolize flow and change, could be extracted, turning the meat and vegetables into jerky and dried vegetables, they could even be easily preserved for several years.”
“However, if you wanted to use such a container to preserve a living person, it would be entirely impossible. The ‘preservation force’ within would kill the living person instead. And the cost to create a container capable of preserving a living person would be many times higher.”
“Given that they invoked miracles of this scale… I don’t think they would have had the spare capacity to preserve the mages inside as well. Conversely, if they could do such a thing, they wouldn’t need to preserve this spacetime, would they? They could have just found a way to survive themselves, right?”
Encyclopedia’s reasoning was quite rational, causing everyone to nod.
His understanding of Preservation Technique was not deep enough to comprehend how ancient mages had preserved this fractured spacetime… but considering human motives, if they could preserve living people too, the “necessity” of preserving intact spacetime would be lost.
“However, there is another possibility,” Sin pushed up his glasses, the white-haired, white-bearded old mage habitually stating a counterpoint. “Preservation Technique can freeze people into ice sculptures or petrify them into stone statues. In such a state, they can endure for a longer period. In my youth, I saw an ancient guard in ruins who had been petrified for hundreds of years. His time was frozen, and thus he lived until now. Although prolonged petrification had corrupted his soul, making him extremely inclined towards the Twilight Path, he did indeed live in my mage tower.”
“Your mage tower?” The Vagrant seized on the keyword.
“…My teacher’s mage tower,” Sin emphasized. “But I am the Chief Archmage and the first successor to the mage tower.”
“A successor with white whiskers?” The Vagrant taunted. “I’ve heard that many mage lords have been rejuvenated. Your teacher wouldn’t be among them, would he? Wouldn’t he have lived longer than you?”
“…Hmph!” The Vagrant’s words seemed to have pricked Sin’s sensitivity. He snorted, his expression stern, and said gravely, “That’s because I didn’t want to accept the defiled blood of the Child of the Moon! Is there such a good thing in this world? Without the Adaptability of the Path of Love, yet gaining the longevity and youth of the Child of the Moon. If such a good thing truly existed, would it be the turn of the Daffodil Duchy? This must come with a price, it’s just that the price hasn’t manifested yet!”
“I think it’s just that your teacher didn’t choose you,” the Vagrant said with a laugh. “After all, if he could live forever, he wouldn’t need to choose a successor, would he?”
Zhu Tang also nodded in agreement. “Indeed, if the emperor could be immortal, what need would there be for a crown prince? If the nation still had to be passed down, wouldn’t there be a pile of ageless emperors dictating things after a few generations? As a minister, one would certainly hope for only one monarch. Satisfying one monarch is simpler than satisfying a pile of conflicting monarchs. Each change of power signifies change and chaos… and only those who hope to climb by any means necessary would anticipate the arrival of chaos.”
“—However, such a situation could indeed exist.” Seeing that they might start arguing, Eivass spoke up to admonish them, and with a calming Blessing, he instantly pacified everyone. “After we go in, be wary of all sorts of sculptures, statues, and paintings. Don’t touch or prod anything. If you encounter anything suspicious, don’t take it upon yourself to investigate. There might not be living people, but there might be automatic defense devices…”
“—As for traps,” Little Cat said softly, “I can handle them.” She was clearly quite confident.
“Then I’ll trouble you to open the door,” Eivass said softly, looking at the “Survival Expert” Vagrant. “Don’t be afraid. If you get injured, I will heal you.”
As an adapter and a “Survival Expert” who emphasized survival, he possessed some precognitive or astrological abilities, making him the safest choice to scout ahead.
The Vagrant had also clearly adapted to such a team role. He nodded and, without hesitation, walked at the very front. Little Cat followed him.
He examined the door lock for a moment and, confirming that it was not bound with any alarms, mechanisms, or other spells, he stepped aside to let Little Cat unlock the door. Little Cat’s hands moved like magic, effortlessly disengaging the lock. The electrical current that had been flowing on it then extinguished. She then pulled down her hood, her entire form fading like smoke and disappearing, silently retreating to the center of the group.
The Vagrant, without hesitation, pushed the door open and entered.
“Is anyone here?!” he shouted from the doorway. After waiting a few seconds and realizing his sense of premonition hadn’t been triggered, he turned back and said, “No one heard my call. There really shouldn’t be anyone here…”
As the Vagrant said this, he took a few steps forward. After less than five steps, he suddenly felt a jolt. He abruptly thrust out his left hand to block in front of him and instantly leaped backward!
Yet, even so, a sharp, arcing beam of red light suddenly appeared out of nowhere and instantly severed his left arm! It happened so fast that he didn’t even feel pain. However, a terrifying heat still accumulated on his severed arm.
“This is—” But just as he let out a cry of alarm, his wound, instantly sealed by the intense heat, suddenly began to radiate a brilliant radiance. The accumulated heat within transformed into warm flowing water, dissipating completely. A strange suction pulled the severed arm, which was flying in the air, directly back, obscuring the light. And when the light completely receded, his left arm was already fully restored!
From the attack to the amputation to the recovery, the entire process lasted less than a second! If it weren’t for the scorch marks still smelling faintly on his arm guard, he might have thought it was just a hallucination!
“I told you,” Eivass said calmly, slowly lowering his left hand. “There’s no need to panic. I Will Heal You.”
(End of Chapter)
