Chapter 32: Dungeon Eater
A chill ran down his spine as the cold energy flowed within him. Accessing the void energy turned out to be easier than he thought. Even the tyrannical Dimension force became somewhat docile under his control. A weird yet familiar sensation ran through him, as if he had come across something like this before.
His mind warned him of the wisdom in tinkering with power he barely understood. Yet, his power stirred within him, urging him to claim the untapped potential.
[Void Prison Realm is trying to access Grade-8 dungeon subspace: Wolf's Nest.]
"Huh? This again?"
[Connection complete.]
[Void Prison Realm successfully accessed Grade-8 Dungeon Subspace: Wolf's Nest. Ready for Assimilation.]
[Please confirm: Accept | Decline]
Warden stared at the notification for a while suspiciously. He wasn't exactly sure what this Void Prison Realm was, but he knew he was connected to it somehow. All his power stemmed from it.
The Void energy that made his job so much easier was a gift from the Void Prison Realm. He figured assimilating would only make it stronger. Also, it was asking his permission, not outright beginning whatever process there was to be.
"I guess why not?" Warden muttered. "Sure."
[Confirmation accepted!]
[Preparing Assimilation...]
[Advising the user to cease all hyperactive functions during the process. Please be calm, it might take a while.]
Warden wasn't sure when or how it happened, but the next thing he knew he was inside an extremely peculiar space—a subspace of a sort, but far more chaotic than the dungeon. Around him was only darkness, with energy pulsations in their ever-changing state. Purple, red, azure, emerald; they were changing colours that would put a chameleon to shame.
However, Warden didn't have time to appreciate the horrific beauty of this state of energy, as it seemed like they were all gunning for him. In a blink of an eye, time seemed blurred, and he found the energy suffocating him, suppressing him under their ungodly force.
He couldn't even let out a groan, let alone muster a counter against it. He remembered the system asking him to stay calm through the process, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to manage that.
Warden already noticed a few times he didn't feel common pain as he should have, however, he felt whatever the energy was doing to him. It was an ungodly amount of pain. If pain alone could kill him, he shouldn't have any right to stay alive, yet alive he was in some ethereal spiritual state.
The changes were happening simultaneously to his physical and spiritual form, only his mind was getting the full brunt of the alteration. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
[Void Prison realm accessing the hidden $%^&%$%%&%^]
[Installing Dungeon &^&$%$%% Error!]
[Error#0! Foundation Lacking!!!!]
[&$#$%@@%^ Vessel rank Insufficient!!!!]
[Rewriting Corruption status... 27%... 28%... 29% ERROR!!!]
A soul-wrenching pain assaulted him the very moment the messages began coming. Warden hardly heard anything correctly, but it appeared the Void Prison Realm found him insufficient and was drastically trying to alter something about his very being.
It was rising fast, and Warden could only slow it down through sheer will, unsure what more corruption would entail for him.
Then it all stopped and came into a deep, bitter voice.
[Not Again!] It wasn't the common monotonic system voice. It was a feminine voice alright, but it bore emotions. Emotions of the extreme kinds. [I won't let it destroy our only chance! Not again!]
Who? Warden wanted to ask, but he couldn't even master his will, just react within his mind, though the owner of the voice seemed to understand him, not that she or whatever they were bothered to answer him.
[Not even a week, and already a disaster... I'm afraid you have to hurry, my Dear redacted]
The pain assaulted his mind again, not even letting him understand what she was saying.
[I'll help,] the voice said again, though the emotion it radiated felt completely different from before. [I'll try, but you know it is.]
A deep sense of sadness grew in his heart. Warden struggled to break free from his confines, but to no avail.
No, I don't know. He wanted to shout, but no voice came. Please tell me who are you? Who am I? What happened to me? Please, I don't think I—
There were countless questions he could ask, in the hope of getting even a hint of an answer. But his consciousness faded to nothingness soon enough. Warden was bitter, almost giving up when the voice transferred again.
[Find the Oracle...] The voice was faint, almost making him question if he had even received an answer at all.
Then all the wrongness with the system returned to how it was before, as Warden went unconscious.
[Interference detected!]
[Unable to determine interference!]
[Void Prison Realm successfully accessed Hidden Aperture(Wrist): The Gate of Spirit.]
[Assimilating unique Fatelock ability: Void Space.]
[Achievement Unlocked! Dungeon Eater.]