Chapter 87: The Chasm Doesn’t Exist

Nero stared at the empty space before him before looking back at the System notification with a blank expression.

[Choice Completed!]

[Reward: ???]

"..."

Just as he was about to complain, another notification appeared.

[Ding! You’ve obtained +3 Power Index and Awakener Gym Blueprint!]

WHRMM!

A powerful surge of energy coursed through Nero’s body, strengthening his muscles and bones as his Power Index increased once again.

[Power Index: 12.0 → 15.0]

Before he could even process the sudden increase in strength, another window appeared before him, displaying the details of his second reward.

[Awakener Gym Blueprint]

[Description: A blueprint for constructing a specialized training facility capable of assisting Awakeners in achieving Mana Convergence through physical training.]

[Effects: Increases training efficiency, improves the chances of Enlightenment, and assists in the process of Mana Convergence.]

[Additional functions can be unlocked once the facility becomes operational.]

[Construction Requirements: Mana Crystals and Mana Ores.]

[Note: The effectiveness of the facility depends on the quality and quantity of materials used during construction.]

"..."

Nero stared at the description in disbelief.

A gym that could help Awakeners achieve Mana Convergence?

Wasn’t that ridiculous?

Mana Convergence was the next major stage of evolution after the ordinary Awakener ranks, and countless Awakeners struggled to reach it even after years of training.

Yet the System had casually handed him a blueprint for a facility that could assist with the process.

’Just how valuable is this thing?’

Nero could already imagine the benefits of owning such a facility, especially if its effects could be improved by using higher-quality Mana Crystals and Ores.

However, despite receiving two incredible rewards, he couldn’t bring himself to feel particularly excited.

His thoughts kept returning to Edward.

"That damn old man," Nero muttered as he slowly stood up.

’Find you when I ascend, huh? Fine. Just wait until I get strong enough to punch you.’

What annoyed him most was how poorly Edward had explained everything.

The old man had mentioned something about ascension, the next stage of evolution, and an organization called the Order, but he hadn’t bothered explaining what any of those things meant.

Instead, he had suddenly sent Nero away without giving him a chance to ask anything.

’Seriously, would it have killed him to explain things properly?’

Nero sighed before placing a hand against his chest.

There was something else he needed to examine.

Deep within his body, near his heart, he could sense a small golden orb that hadn’t existed before Edward transferred his knowledge.

Curious, Nero directed a portion of his Mental Energy toward it.

The moment his consciousness touched the orb, an enormous amount of information appeared within his mind.

’What the...’

Countless techniques were stored inside it, each containing detailed information about how Cell Energy could be manipulated and applied.

There were defensive techniques, offensive techniques, and even methods that Nero couldn’t understand with his current knowledge.

He attempted to examine one of the more complicated techniques, only to discover that its contents were inaccessible.

’So this is what he meant by learning them when I’m ready.’

Edward hadn’t been lying when he said everything he knew was inside him.

However, Nero decided against examining the orb any further because he still needed to figure out where he was.

He looked around the surrounding forest, and a strange sense of familiarity immediately struck him.

’Wait a minute. Isn’t this...’

Nero turned around, examining the trees and the surrounding terrain more carefully.

There was no mistaking it.

This was the exact location where he had jumped into the chasm two months ago.

His Perfect Memory made it impossible for him to confuse the place with somewhere else.

But there was one problem.

’Where the hell is the chasm?’

The enormous opening that had once split the ground was completely gone, replaced by an ordinary stretch of forest.

Even the surrounding terrain looked untouched, as though nothing had ever happened there.

Nero frowned as he approached the spot where the chasm should have been.

He remembered everything clearly, including the meteor, the terrifying Tier 2 Vicious Beast, and his desperate decision to jump.

Yet there wasn’t a single trace of any of it.

"Nero?"

A familiar voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Nero turned around and saw a small floating orb approaching him through the trees.

It was Enis.

"What are you doing here?" Enis asked urgently as it flew closer. "You shouldn’t be anywhere near this area!"

However, Nero barely paid attention to the warning because something else had caught his interest.

"Hey, Enis. There used to be a chasm here, right? What happened to it?"

"Chasm?" Enis sounded genuinely confused. "What chasm are you talking about?"

"The one created by the meteor. You know, the enormous hole that appeared in the middle of this forest?"

"What meteor?" Enis asked, sounding even more baffled. "Nero, did you hit your head or something?"

"..."

Nero fell silent.

He studied Enis for a moment, but there was no indication that the drone was lying or deliberately hiding anything from him.

’So that’s how it is.’

The chasm hadn’t simply disappeared.

As far as Enis was concerned, it had never existed in the first place.

’Just who exactly was that old man?’

Nero had suspected that Edward possessed extraordinary abilities, but erasing an entire incident from the world was something else entirely.

Then again, Edward was someone the Choice System had led him to, so perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised.

Nero sighed as he glanced toward the empty space where the chasm had once existed.

He would miss Edward, despite how annoying the old man had been.

During their two months together, they had shared countless meals, and Edward would often tell him strange stories while casually eating whatever food he had gathered.

Those peaceful moments had become something Nero looked forward to, even if the training that followed usually made him regret waking up.

But now, that strange little life had ended.

He was back to being Nero Martinez.

"Hello? Nero? Are you listening to me?"

Enis had apparently been speaking for some time, but Nero hadn’t heard a single word.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. What were you saying?"

"I was asking where you’ve been for the past two months!" Enis replied impatiently. "You disappeared without leaving any information, and nobody could figure out where you went!"

"Ah, well..."

Nero scratched his cheek, wondering how he was supposed to explain that he had spent two months training inside a mysterious realm with an old man who had erased a chasm from existence.

Fortunately, Enis didn’t give him the chance.

"Forget it. We can discuss that later because you need to leave this forest immediately. This area is dangerous, and several powerful Vicious Beasts have been detected nearby."

"Really?"

"Yes! Why do you sound so unconcerned?"

Before Nero could answer, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled.

RUMBLE!

Several nearby trees shook violently as something enormous moved through the forest, snapping branches and crushing vegetation beneath its weight.

Enis immediately turned toward the disturbance.

"What was that?"

A moment later, a massive spider emerged from between the trees, its enormous legs digging into the ground as it advanced toward them.

Its dark body was covered in a thick shell, while several pairs of eyes glimmered beneath its armored head.

Nero recognized it immediately.

It was the same creature that had forced him into the chasm two months ago.

Enis, meanwhile, had already begun analyzing the monster.

"Tier 2 Vicious Beast detected!" Enis exclaimed. "Nero, run! That’s not something you can handle!"

However, Nero remained completely still.

A strange smile slowly appeared on his face as he watched the enormous spider approach.

"It’s you."

The spider let out a piercing screech before charging toward him, its massive legs tearing through the ground with every movement.

"NERO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? RUN!"

"Nero! What are you doing? Run!"

Enis flew backward in panic, but Nero merely raised his hand.

His blue-gray eyes glowed faintly as Telekinesis spread toward the approaching creature.

The spider suddenly stopped. Its enormous body trembled as an invisible force seized it, preventing even its legs from moving.

Nero then closed his outstretched hand.

CRUNCH!

The spider’s armored body collapsed inward as an overwhelming force crushed it from every direction.

Its thick shell cracked, its legs twisted, and within seconds, the enormous creature was reduced to a mangled corpse.

THUD!

The remains dropped onto the ground.

Nero lowered his hand as the choice system’s notification rang out.

[Ding! You’ve completed a pending choice of taking revenge on the Tier 2 Vicious Beast]

[You’ve obtained Supernatural Meal Voucher (Legendary)]

Two months ago, he had been completely helpless against this creature, but now he could kill it without even moving from where he stood.

The difference in strength was almost unbelievable.

Meanwhile, Enis remained suspended in the air, staring at the dead spider.

"..."

For several seconds, Enis didn’t know what to say.

Just then, a rumble echoed throughout the forest which made Nero look into the direction it came from.