The appearance of the Safe Zone had changed significantly over the past year.
The old house where Kreutzvalt and Hio lived remained the same, but the scenery outside the house had transformed.
First, the ash that used to fall like snow throughout the seasons no longer fell within the territory.
This was because Hio’s Shield Magic did not turn off 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — it even manifested while he slept.
This was also thanks to what he had learned from Kreutzvalt.
The training involved lowering mana consumption significantly and finding the exact point just before the magic would dissipate, keeping it active at all times.
In the beginning, the magic would break while he was asleep, or he would fail to lower the mana amount, causing the consumption to be faster than his recovery rate.
However, after a few months, he was able to maintain the magic as naturally as breathing.
This was quite an impressive achievement.
Although he was currently maintaining 1st Circle Fire and 2nd Circle Shield Magic, other high-difficulty spells could likely be maintained for a long time using similar principles.
Of course, in those cases, the mana consumed would be much greater than the mana recovered.
For that reason, ash no longer fell within the Safe Zone.
It was remarkably clean.
When Hio asked Kreutzvalt why he hadn’t blocked the ash when he first created the Safe Zone, since someone of his level could have done it without much difficulty, the old man gave a cranky reply.
“Ho ho… It has a certain charm, doesn’t it?”
Anyway, that was the first change.
The second change was the bustling labor force within the territory.
It was the 255 undead.
There were 255 undead connected to Hio — no, 256 in total including Theodore.
Hio deliberately took them all out of the Sarcophagus of Death and put them to work.
Some were made to sweep the yard, some to make jerky out of monster meat, some to dig holes, and some to guard the perimeter outside the territory.
He was forcing them to do tasks that might seem somewhat meaningless.
The reason was that this, too, was a form of training.
It was training to control all the undead at once and give each of them different commands.
No matter how great Hio’s mana control or mental strength was, training was necessary to control such a large number of undead, especially when each of them was incredibly powerful.
Normally, this would be impossible, so one would appoint a middle manager, but Hio was controlling everyone in detail himself.
Although Theodore helped occasionally, he faced significant restrictions since he was not a Death Knight created through conventional methods.
The third change resulting from this was the noticeably reduced Abyssal Curse within the territory.
This was because such a large number of powerful undead were consuming the energy of the Abyss in place of Death Aura.
Additionally, Hio himself was steadily accumulating the energy of the Abyss.
While the outside was an abyss where it was hard to see even an inch ahead, the inside of the territory had changed to be only slightly darker than an ordinary night.
It was a blessing that light could spread far.
It was a relief that ash didn’t fly everywhere with every step, and that a space once so quiet it could drive one mad now bustled with the presence of others, even if they were undead.
In the one year and several months Hio had been there, it had finally started to look like a place where people lived.
Hio could not even begin to guess or understand how Kreutzvalt had lived here alone all that time.
While he was lost in thought, staring blankly at the busy undead, Kreutzvalt approached and asked, “Is the preparation going well?”
“Well, there isn’t much to prepare. I just need to pack plenty of food.”
After clearing out the Gegegi and Ttuntmuni, all the Strange Entities in the vicinity had been dealt with.
The 256 undead perfectly obeyed Hio’s control, and he had become accustomed to mixing the Abyss into his magic to produce superior destructive power.
He had even been personally taught magic up to the 6th Circle by Kreutzvalt.
“One can never be too prepared. The journey is long. Prepare yourself thoroughly.”
“Yes. Don’t worry, consider how much I’ve learned during this time.”
It was finally time to leave.
To Tetradia.
Leaving the End of the World to return to the continent.
“But am I really going alone?”
Kreutzvalt would not be accompanying him on the road to Tetradia.
“Did I not tell you? To grow to the next level, you must not have someone to rely on by your side. Of course, some may advance to the next stage despite that, but that is merely a stroke of luck. In the end, one has no choice but to realize it and move forward on their own.”
The reason was that this was the path to the 7th Circle.
Normally, one would have to reach the 6th Circle through enlightenment as well.
However, Hio had learned a different method thanks to Kreutzvalt and had forced the creation of the sixth ring.
Well, even if it was forced, its effectiveness would be the same.
The problem was the next stage, the 7th Circle.
There were no such forced methods for the 7th Circle; one could only move forward through their own enlightenment.
Yet, Hio knew nothing about what that enlightenment was.
“The enlightenment that comes at the moment between life and death. This does not only apply to warriors. It is a phenomenon that occurs commonly in any human, whether they are a Magician or anything else. It is human instinct to avoid death, seek life, and strive to transcend it.”
The road to Tetradia was long.
There would be entities he must avoid, and even ordinary Strange Entities would possess strength incomparable to the Gegegi or Ttuntmuni near the Safe Zone.
While pushing through spaces surrounded by the Abyss, breaking through or avoiding such monsters, and overcoming similar crises on the way to Tetradia, realization might suddenly strike, allowing him to move to the next stage.
At the very least, he might find a clue.
That was Kreutzvalt’s explanation and the reason why Hio had to leave alone.
It sounded quite plausible.
[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 641/1000)]
‘I have to endure it.
This chilling sensation.’
‘I must not show it.
This feeling of having my neck shoved into the teeth of a beast.’
‘I’ve endured it well for over a year, haven’t I?
Even after my suspicion became a near certainty, I haven’t been caught and have made it this far.’
Eventually, something would happen, but not yet.
Although he had grown strong at an incredible speed for over a year, if that monster truly made up his mind, Hio would be devoured in an instant.
So, he had to endure.
He had to act naturally and smile.
He had to play the role of a disciple who was appropriately rebellious yet showed the right amount of respect for his master.
“Instead of that, why don’t you come with me? If we go to Tetradia together and head out to the continent, I think the continent will be peaceful for the next 100 years.”
“Ho ho ho… Did I not tell you? If I leave, who will manage the Abyss Tower?”
“Aww, it didn’t really look like you were managing it that much.”
“Foolish disciple. What you see is not everything. Besides, you will see me eventually once you arrive safely in Tetradia.”
“…Are you going to come out to greet me?”
“Shouldn’t I? My only disciple is returning to the continent to become a hero.”
“Haha… You don’t have to go that far…”
It was an extremely casual conversation, like the ones they had always had.
A normal conversation between a master who cared for his disciple and a disciple who treated his master with appropriate respect.
“Then, I’ll just pack plenty of food in my subspace and be on my way.”
“Ho ho… Do that. Avoid the Watchers as much as possible, and if you cannot avoid them, kill them before they even have a chance to notice you.”
“Yes, yes. I know. Don’t worry.”
Hio recalled all the undead who had finished their work and stored them back in the Sarcophagus of Death.
Moving with too many people would only attract the attention of Strange Entities, so Theodore alone would be a sufficient companion.
After completing all preparations, Hio left the Safe Zone and began his journey.
He took the significantly stronger Theodore by his side.
His Subspace Pouch was filled with enough food to last for weeks.
Behind his back, he left a chilling sense of unease.
“By the time you reach Tetradia, I sincerely hope you have crossed the wall and entered the realm of a true superhuman. My disciple.”
Hio departed.
Dark clouds loomed over the continent.
Following the failures of the 62nd and 63rd floors, the expedition for the 66th floor had also failed.
The aftermath was now too much to recover from, forcing a decision.
They had to decide what to give up.
“We must give up on the Abyss Expedition!”
“That’s right! We haven’t even overcome the aftermath of the failures on the 62nd and 63rd floors, let alone the 66th. To form another expeditionary force in the midst of this — it’s absolutely out of the question!”
“Instead of forming an expeditionary force, we should take more time and think about defending the continent!”
The argument to give up the expedition was clear.
By giving up the expedition, they could save the time and manpower that would have been spent on it.
Abyss Monsters from the failed raids were still rampant across the continent, and those capable of suppressing them were limited.
Several villages had already been wiped off the map, and there had been several crises where a few Great Cities were nearly destroyed.
It was only because the system was well-organized and gate control was prioritized that the damage was limited to this extent.
At this point, forming an expeditionary force to attempt a raid was no different from gambling.
With Abyss Monsters still running wild and the Abyssal Curse spreading across the continent, what would happen if such high-level personnel were sent on an expedition rather than being used for damage recovery?
Furthermore, what if they failed again?
What if a large number of casualties occurred?
The dark clouds over the continent would become uncontrollable.
“Give up the expedition! That is absolutely unacceptable!”
“Do you not realize that saying that is no different from letting go of the future!”
“Knowing how much damage a single failure causes, how can you suggest we fail on purpose?”
On the other hand, those who argued that the expedition must continue also had clear reasons.
Monsters poured out every time a raid failed.
Abyss Gates were spread across the entire continent, and the strong were limited.
In such a situation, giving up the expedition was no different from abandoning every nation except for the Empire.
Furthermore, what were they going to do about the massive amount of Abyssal Curse released with each failure?
The number of priests who could handle Holy Power was decreasing, and the only Magician who could manage it was gone.
“This is truly frustrating!”
“That’s exactly what we want to say!”
“Sigh…”
Both sides’ arguments had merit.
It wasn’t just a matter of having merit; both were right.
That was why the Central Nobles, who were more loyal to the Empire than anyone else, were raising their voices in conflict.
At the head of the meeting hall, where loud voices were being exchanged, Sylvia sat on the throne, watching them with weary eyes.
What should she do?
What was the right answer?
No, was there even a right answer?
If they went on the expedition, the continent’s situation was a mess, the preparation period was short, and the expedition members would have virtually no rest.
If they failed, it was the end.
Yet, if they didn’t go, she could already see the continent being slowly submerged in the abyss as the damage accumulated.
What on earth was she supposed to do?
‘…What am I supposed to do?’
If she turned around, it felt like Theodore would still be there.
It felt like Hio would burst through those meeting room doors at any moment with his usual relaxed smile.
It felt like he would nonchalantly offer a solution in this seemingly hopeless situation.
But the two people she relied on most were now gone.
They were dead.
Just like that.
So pointlessly.
While there were still a few who denied Hio’s death, they were a tiny minority.
Even they would likely admit it to themselves now that over a year had passed.
Hio Pavlenko was truly dead.
So, she had to make a decision without relying on anyone.
After a long period of agonizing, she reached a single conclusion.
The decision delivered through her parched lips was extremely realistic.
“As of today.”
It was an unavoidable choice.
This world was not a fairy tale.
There were no miracles.
There was no magic to cause them.
“The expedition is canceled.”
In a world where even hope had died.
“Prepare for the end.”