Chapter 119: Ancient Ruin Exploration (4)
Ash took another step forward, and once again, the weight on his body increased. It wasn’t just a small change.
The pressure around him felt like someone had pressed down a huge invisible hand, making everything heavier and harder to move through.
It’s still bearable, he thought, forcing his body to stay balanced as he climbed up. His breath came out slowly, and he stayed focused.
This was the tenth step. By now, the gravity around him had become ten times stronger than normal.
The weight on his body, which came from the glowing rings on his wrists, ankles, and neck, had reached about one hundred kilograms.
Each step added ten more kilograms, and the gravity increased with every step in the same way.
He pushed himself up again. His muscles cried out in protest, and his legs felt tight and heavy.
A sharp pressure was building in his shoulders and back, and his arms were getting harder to lift.
But it was not too much. He had trained with heavy weights before. While this trial added gravity, something he wasn’t used to, his body could still handle it.
His training back at the academy, using the weighted suit almost every day, had made his body used to carrying pressure.
It had made him stronger, little by little. Even if the suit was damaged now, his body hadn’t forgotten the feeling.
By the time he reached the twentieth step, the weight had grown to two hundred kilograms, and the gravity around him was twenty times stronger than normal. It was like trying to move through water that had turned thick like syrup.
Every step made his body shake, and sweat started to drip from his chin and forehead.
"Damn, it’s actually working," Ash muttered. His voice was low, and he was breathing harder, but there was a small smile on his face. His body was trembling under the pressure, but deep inside, he felt good.
It was a familiar feeling, one that reminded him of his past training.
He was finally feeling that same pressure again. The kind that made him grow stronger with every second.
"Add more," he whispered to himself, his tone steady, as he pushed forward again. His eyes were focused, and his body moved with a rhythm, step after step, as if he was ready to carry even more.
Even though it was painful, even though it burned, Ash didn’t stop. He kept climbing, because this was the kind of pain that made him feel alive.
The kind that told him he was getting better.
While Ash continued to climb the stairs inside the second trial ground, slowly being crushed under the growing weight and gravity, far away at the Starlight Academy, something else was happening.
A different kind of chaos was beginning to rise, hidden behind calm walls.
***
Few weeks before Ash entered the Ruin...
Starlight Academy.
"Have they all arrived?" the Whisperer asked calmly.
"Yes, I even called back all the fourth-years. Now every student from the first, second, third, and fourth year is present in the academy hall," Nichole replied. His voice was calm, but filled with respect.
The atmosphere in the room was tense. All seven Saints were present, standing quietly. After all, the man they faced wasn’t just anyone.
Back when he was still the principal of the academy, he had taken all seven of them as his disciples.
The whisperer knew his time was nearing its end, so he wanted someone worthy to take his place.
Not that he was sure whether he would truly die—now that fate had changed, even he didn’t know—but still, back then he had prepared for the possibility.
When those seven, now Saints, had first appeared as children, he had seen the potential in them.
So, with hope in his heart, he had taken them in as his disciples.
"Let’s go then," the Whisperer said softly as he began walking forward. The seven Saints followed behind him in complete silence. Not a single word was spoken.
As they reached the academy hall, the Whisperer spoke again.
"Nichole boy, you’re the principal now. You take the lead. I will be watching from the sidelines, since I need to use my powers. As for the rest of you, do not take any action unless necessary. If the anomaly tries to escape, catch him. But do not harm him."
Hearing his clear instructions, they all replied together, their voices strong and united, "Yes, Master!"
Let’s see if you are here...
The Whisperer had already examined all the staff and teachers, but he found no one who was deeply connected to fate. That only left the students.
I hope you turn out to be the savior, not a destroyer...
With a small sigh, he vanished from his spot. He became invisible. After all, as the Seer who had watched entire civilizations rise and fall, he had the ability to vanish from people’s sight whenever he wished.
Nichole walked into the hall, taking calm steps toward the center. As he stood before the crowd of students, he began speaking.
His voice carried gently through the air, talking about the recent incident at the academy, offering guidance and news.
Meanwhile, the other six Saints moved silently, spreading out across the hall. Each one sharpened their senses to the limit, eyes and minds focused on every detail inside the grand hall. Not a single movement escaped their notice.
The Whisperer silently stood beside Nichole. The wheel in his eyes began to spin rapidly, and suddenly, everyone’s fate lines became visible to him.
He slowly moved his head, looking at each student. All of them were normal. None of them had more than one fate line. Each one had only their own fate.
Then his eyes fell on his adopted granddaughter.
She stood there, completely untouched by destiny.
Looks like she awakened her affinity...
A gentle smile rose on his face.
Good... very good. Sending her to the academy was the right choice. Now, I can finally begin teaching her properly.
He thought to himself with pride, feeling the small spark of hope flicker again in his ancient heart.
He also looked around, slowly scanning the crowd, and then his eyes landed on Ray Dawson. The moment he saw him, his eyes slightly widened in surprise as a strange feeling rose in his chest.
Who is he...? The Whisperer wondered silently.
Ray was surrounded by many fate lines. For a moment, the Whisperer thought that maybe he had finally found the anomaly he was searching for.
But then, as he looked more closely, his thoughts changed.
These fate lines... they are so badly damaged... it’s almost like someone has taken away what originally belonged to him, and in return, gave him a completely different direction in life...
He continued to observe every student one by one, looking carefully across all the years. But even after going through every face from the fourth year, third year, second year, and first year, he still did not find the one he was truly looking for.
Although there were some students who had more than one fate line attached to them, he assumed it was probably because the anomaly had interacted with them before, so he decided not to pay much attention to them.
Instead, his focus shifted completely onto Ray Dawson.
His eyes began to glow with a brighter light, sharper and more intense than before, as he stared at Ray with deep curiosity.
Who are you...?
With that thought, all the details about Ray’s life began to appear before the Whisperer—his past, everything he had done so far.
However, there was one thing missing. The system remained hidden, even from his gaze.
Ray Dawson? Isn’t he the disciple of Nichole boy, But what is this strange case of his broken fate...?
The Whisperer became more serious, and then he went even deeper, peeling away the layers of space and time, searching for the truth that had existed before Ash altered it.
Finally, he found it.
The moment he saw the original, unaltered fate Ray had been born with, his expression completely changed.
His calm eyes trembled slightly, and a cold chill slowly crept into them as the truth struck him.
WHAT!!!
What is this?? The cause behind the world’s destruction... is him?
So, all those visions I had before the anomaly appeared—were they about him all along?
Even before Ash had appeared in this world, the Whisperer had seen glimpses of its fate. He had known that someone was going to be responsible for the destruction of the world.
But no matter how hard he searched, it was nearly impossible to uncover anything about that person.
It felt as if Fate itself refused to let the truth be revealed.
Back then, after he stepped down from his role as the principal, he was again bound to another place.
He couldn’t freely move or investigate as he once did. And because of that, he had no way to track down the true cause of what was coming.
If not for the recent weakening of cause and effect, and if he hadn’t come face to face with Ray today, he might have never discovered the truth—even now.
He’s the one... The one behind the destruction of the world... The one who will bring the unification of the universe... The one who should have been a hero, but is more like a destroyer...
For the first time in thousands of years, a dangerous killing intent quietly bubbled up in his eyes.
But the moment that thought formed in his mind, he suddenly felt the grip of causality tighten around him like an invisible snake, wrapping around his soul, threatening to crush him completely.
He immediately realized that if he even moved a single finger with the intent to harm Ray, the very threads of causality would tear him apart without hesitation.
Damn this fate... I’ve never hated it so much until now. Take my life if you want—but let me kill him... just once...
But the grip of causality only grew stronger in response, as if mocking his helplessness.
You bastard... the Whisperer clenched his jaw, teeth grinding in frustration. He wanted to scream, but what could he do?
Even though he knew Ray might be innocent right now... what about the billions of people who would die in the future because this one person was allowed to live?
Isn’t life truly unfair?
But then again, he also understood that life had never been fair to anyone.
Those born in noble houses and upper-class families had every privilege handed to them.
Those born in the middle class had to struggle every step of the way—if they succeeded, they might rise higher, but if not, they were simply stuck in the cycle.
And as for those born in the lower class, unless something miraculous happened, their fate was already sealed from birth.
He had always known how fickle fate could be. But never, in all his years, had he hated it this deeply.
Damned Fate...
***