Chapter 492: The Growth Of The Limitless Void
Northern's words settled into his mind like a storm.
Even after Northern had slept on the ground and he was on the bed, he was finding sleep so hard to fall into just because of those words that Northern had uttered.
Images of their humble beginnings played in his head. How Northern had stuck to him and helped him even when he had no reason to.
In as much as Northern portrayed himself to only be helping him because he needed his help in return, he wanted to believe that Northern helped him truly out of the goodness of his heart.
And from then, he had owed Northern heavily. He thought about how weird Northern was, the trouble they got in, and how he handled it.
He thought about the fight with the monster in the mansion; what he had seen that night made him understand for the first time that Northern's entire strength didn't rely on the fact that he had monsters he could summon.
And from then, his respect and awe for Northern had only kept growing. However, with this growth, Ellis felt farther and farther away from him.
With a somber look on his face, Ellis stretched his hand up, as if he wanted to grab the roof, then he clenched it in the air.
'This time... the journey will not be yours alone. And you won't be alone,' he vowed.
But at the same time, he feared for himself. Would he be able to work at Northern's pace?
Would he even be worthy enough to dare?
Those fears and thoughts strained his mind and eventually tired him to sleep.
A while after Ellis had fallen into the embrace of a sound sleep, with subtle snow driving to and fro his lungs, Northern stood up and crossed his legs.
Then he dove into the Limitless Void.
First of all, the towering columns now seemed to stretch further than before-toward the heavens. Each one was now vividly etched with intricate symbols and glowing faintly with an ancient, mysterious energy.
Their bluish hues contrasted sharply with the deep shadows they cast, faintly illuminating the vastness of the hall.
Above, a delicate cascade of light streamed down from translucent ceilings far overhead, where waterfalls of shimmering liquid light poured from unseen heights, casting everything in a serene blue glow.
The usually dark and ominous pathway, now flanked by well-tended trees, exuded tranquility, with soft foliage brushing against the warm golden lamps that lined the way.
The air felt crisp and more realistic, tinged with a sense of calm and reverence, as if this place was a meeting point between nature and the divine.
Everything about it spoke of ancient grandeur, a civilization that cherished both beauty and mystery.
Northern had seen this before the first time he entered the Limitless Void, and even seeing it again now, he still could not erase the amazement that had been left on his face the first time he entered.
The flames of Chaos that burned at the edges of the steps that led to his whitish Throne seat now burned larger, blocking the view to the absurdly tall whitish throne seat which stood imposingly behind the flames, its towering backrest gleaming with a soft white hue as the light caught the polished surface.
Flanked by walls of tangible darkness, it gave the impression of a dark and effortless grandeur.
The seat itself was elevated, its base wide and solid, as though carved from a single stone slab.
Northern looked around his grand palace with astonishment in his eyes.
"This feels like it deserves a place in the heavens or something," he muttered.
Along with this astounding change, the Void Palace had also grown extensively, gained several rooms, and even a magnifying exterior, carved to be the highest viewpoint in the Limitless Void. From anywhere in the vast soulscape, his palace could be seen. Northern looked down, simultaneously summoning the panel to easily inspect the rest of the change.
[The Limitless Void has stretched further, becoming a more infinite and multidimensional space. Its vastness represents your growing understanding and mastery of the Void, with its edges blending into unknown territories.]
[Any more attraction could attract more powerful and ancient souls, or even elements of the Echo Realm.]
'Why does this feel like a warning, and what is the Echo Realm?'
The system didn't look like it was ready to respond, and before now, Northern had never heard of such a word. However, it bothered him, somehow.
'Could it be the underworld...' He lingered before shaking his head. 'No, I don't think so.'
Having no answer for now, Northern put the matter to rest in the backyard of his thoughts and continued his inspection.
[The souls of the monsters residing within the Limitless Void can now evolve. Instead of remaining as soul summons until you evolve them to Void summons, they can now grow stronger, becoming Spectras, an Echo of their former self before evolving to become Void summons themselves.]
Northern's mouth fell. 'What?!'
This was everything he had ever wished for, and it was waiting for him when he became a Master?
Soul summons did not have a material body, which made it impossible for them to become Void summons, because Void summons were the materialization of a soul by Void.
It was not possible unless they had some sort of material body to be materialized by the void. His alternative was his clone. But the terms after Advanced Cloning became Duplicate had been hard to come by.
Singularity was difficult because it meant investing his talent fragments and then losing all of it the moment the talent devolved.
With his need for talent fragments, he was very skeptical of going that route; hence, he had just been stuck.
Now, that has been rid of because soul summons can become a Spectra where they gain an echo body of themselves before eventually becoming Void summons.
Northern was happy; he wouldn't be needing to weave the essence of void, mixing it with a clone and soul for a desired result anymore. Now, he could really just watch them all grow.
'This feels so rewarding!'
But he also didn't think the road to becoming a Void summon would be something easy. But it
was massive progress.
[Soul Forge]:
[As a Master, you can now use the souls of defeated monsters to forge powerful constructs or
weapons within the Void]
[These constructs could act as guardians or manifestations of your will, defending the
Limitless Void or assisting you in combat]
[This process could lead to the creation of sentient weapons that you wield, with each one tied to the essence of a particular monster you have vanquished]