Happy New Year! I know it's late, but I hope it counts.
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Clint collapsed onto his back shortly after he regained consciousness, having been nearly drained of every ounce of power he once possessed. For the first time in centuries, Clint felt at ease as he fell into a peaceful sleep.
He dreamt of the time when he was still a mortal. His ambition was high, and his drive to become the strongest human in the world never faded—at least, not until a calamity struck his world.
A cosmic being whose diet consisted of planets and celestial bodies swept past Clint's origin world. It was the apocalypse. The cosmic being devoured the star and the planets, along with every living being.
Then, before the dream could devolve into a nightmare, time sped up. The contents of his dream now featured how he first met his former master, and how he eventually reached the Overgod Level.
That was where the dream truly ended, replaced by the true nightmare.
The sky turned crimson. The world below blackened, and corpses were strewn about. Eyes unclosed—some had their limbs severed, others burned, minced, or lacerated. The sorrow of this nightmare was heavy, because Clint knew every single one of them.
His friends. His companions. His children.
All had been brutally killed.
And at the end of it, upon a high throne, sat a familiar man, his shoulders slumped. Clint had no control over his body in this nightmare, and he walked up the stairs. It was only after he reached the top that he could finally see clearly.
His Master—the strongest entity of all, the Unbreakable Primordial—had been killed.
As if the sight had finally reached his lowest point of tolerance, Clint was woken from his nightmare, screaming with mixed emotions.
"AHHH!!" he bellowed.
His eyes opened to the cream-colored ceiling above. His breath was ragged, and cold sweat ran down his forehead as he slowly pushed himself up to sit on the bed.
"Ugh… What a horrid dream…" Clint muttered to himself after he calmed down.
"You're awake."
A woman's voice rang through the room, entering Clint's hearing. It was at this moment that he finally realized he wasn't alone.
Clint turned his head to the side and saw a very beautiful woman seated right beside the bed, his right hand interlocked with hers.
Clint didn't reply immediately, but slowly retracted his hand.
"Who are you?" Clint asked, his tone firm but not harsh or demanding.
"My name is Alice," the woman said with a sweet smile.
"Where am I?" Clint asked again, but the woman pouted.
"It should be my turn to ask you," she said.
"…." Clint's expression darkened as he fell silent.
"Hey! Why aren't you saying anything?" The woman raised her voice slightly.
"Waiting for you to ask the question. My turn. Where am I?" Clint replied.
"You're—wait! I didn't ask a question yet!" Alice almost fell into his witty trap.
"You did." Clint raised an eyebrow.
"Did not!" Alice insisted.
"…." Clint had no choice but to give up. More importantly, he needed to understand his current situation rather than waste time on useless banter.
Clint exhaled slowly and leaned back against the headboard, the stiffness in his body reminding him how close he had been to complete collapse.
"Fine," he said at last. "Ask."
Alice's pout vanished almost instantly, replaced by a look of quiet curiosity. "Who are you?"
"Clint Ursa. Where am I?" he answered.
"You're currently in a guest room of the province governor's mansion, Aslan Province of the Newheart Kingdom. Where are you from, Clint?"
"…Outside."
"Hey, that's cheating, you know? At least give me the name of the place!"
"It's gone, so it doesn't matter." Clint waved her off.
Hearing that, Alice suddenly fell silent, feeling that her question might have been inappropriate. Thinking that Clint's hometown might have been destroyed by war or some calamity, she offered a heartfelt apology.
Clint shook his head, implying it was fine, noticing that Alice looked like she was about to cry.
"How long have I been unconscious?" he asked.
"You were already unconscious when we found you in our backyard. Since then, it's been more or less two days." Alice recounted his condition when they found him—it had been terrible. His injuries were awful, and it was absurd how much better he looked after only two days.
"Do you remember how you managed to sneak into our backyard? My father always has guards patrolling the mansion's perimeter around the clock," she inquired.
Growl…
Clint's stomach suddenly let out a grumbling sound.
The serious tone of the conversation was immediately broken. A few awkward moments passed before Alice suddenly started laughing, as if someone had just told her a good joke.
Clint, on the other hand, grabbed his stomach in astonishment. He hadn't felt hunger for countless years after walking the path of immortality. Now that it happened, a thought crossed his mind.
Have I regressed into a mortal again?
"Hahaha… Looks like someone's hungry." Alice smiled brightly, then called the maid waiting outside the door into the room.
She instructed her to prepare food for Clint and bring it to him. The maid nodded, offered a few words of acknowledgment, and exited the room.
"Let's continue talking after you've eaten your fill," Alice said. She stood up and left the room with a smile on her lips.
When the doors closed behind her, her smile faded.
Her thoughts drifted to the sight she had seen before Clint woke up. He had been having a nightmare, muttering a few names in his sleep.
Though she had been all smiles just now, Alice understood that Clint must have suffered great losses. Two days ago, when he was found unconscious and sprawled on the ground, his injuries had been severe. He was covered in blood and wounds from head to toe.
What was peculiar, however, was the fact that there were no tracks or traces of how Clint had gotten in—and the presence of a small crater.
It was as if Clint had fallen from the sky.
~~~~
My time in the Aggrae World is getting excruciatingly boring, to the point where I have finally decided to stop waiting for chaos to break out.
It has been a handful of years since the El Malais Kingdom closed the strait for major trade, yet there are still no concrete clues regarding the perpetrators of the East Malais incident. The Cadia Corporation has covered its tracks very well, extending even to its immediate and hidden allies. The handful of nations supporting the cause propagated by Malrick are all approaching the twilight of their preparations, especially after receiving considerable "help" from the Cadia Corporation in the form of a bioengineered Eli's Staff called the Life Grail.
It's amusing how these nations believe Malrick has provided them with his best creation, when in truth, the Life Grails he supplied were merely early, unstable versions. Even those were diluted and carried a high chance of failure—or even death. Still, because the enhancements were noticeable in cases of success, the nations supporting Malrick's vision remained heavily invested, utterly unaware that Malrick was treating them as dumping grounds.
The El Malais Kingdom, after several years of increased internal and border security, also faced mounting economic challenges. The slow pace of the investigation eventually forced the governing body to reopen the strait so the economy could flourish once more. However, the kingdom had already put several countermeasures in place. All ports were now staffed with patrol teams equipped with both hot and cold weapons. These teams might not be the best of the best, but they were more than capable of responding to emergencies with minimal delay.
Neil, on the other hand, spends most of his time at home. Amanda has been taking care of him despite the presence of maids and a butler. As the two spend more time together, I can clearly see them growing closer than I remember. Honestly, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I might end up with a younger sibling, judging by how they're acting.
The royal neurologist also visits once a month to monitor Neil's condition, and the good news is that his recovery is progressing considerably better than expected. I might not need to "fix" his Life Code if things continue developing at this pace. It would be great if it stays that way.
As for my own situation, things aren't looking good. On the bright side, my Body, Mind, and Soul are now locked into a sustainable, self-reinforcing loop. My study of this world's Codex has also advanced significantly, and I am now only around a thousand layers away from completion—meaning my progress has surpassed sixty percent.
Since the Aggrae World is mostly mundane, with barely over three thousand sheets in its World Codex, a year should have been sufficient for me to finish everything. However, the existence of Eli's Staff has made the World Codex far more complex than expected.
That is essentially the reason why I am only just past sixty percent completion and have yet to finish studying the World Codex of Aggrae.
Anyway, as I am getting increasingly stronger beyond this world's natural limits, staying for a prolonged period of time would be unwise, even though I could be considered a local resident.
Much like a bird—or a dragon—having to leave the nest after maturing. Especially a dragon, which grows not only in size, but also in aggression and power. Much like a teenager, honestly, with hot blood fueling their eagerness.
In my case, this world was my nest.
My study of the World Codex wasn't a decision I made on the fly, especially not after I discovered the existence of Eli's Staff. Understanding the structure of the World Codex means understanding the fundamental laws that govern this world—such as how space is layered, how time flows, and what fuels the natural growth of living beings.
With this knowledge, one would only lack power to be capable of performing unworldly feats such as bending the fabric of reality itself, teleportation, or literally uprooting a mountain.
That is a nonexistent problem in my case, because as I have made clear, my power has grown far beyond what the Aggrae World can handle, despite the existence of Eli's Staff, which is itself a transcendent lynchpin of this world.
The lack of entertainment in this "small pond" means exactly what you might think. World Travel.