A Long Sleep

It took him half an hour to recover and come out from the Nihility Dimension.

He was different from before. In fact, his face was so pale that Falerra couldn't help but speak.

"Crazy boy... why is your soul so weak... What did you do inside?"

"Well... Nothing much..." Atlas replied: "I used some of my Soul Power for the Celestial Golden Durian. It was a necessary step..."

Falerra approached him, and what he saw shocked him greatly: "Only a bit? Damn... you consumed the majority of your Soul Power. Are you insane? You humans can exchange your soul only after reaching a determined realm... don't do it again!"

Falerra was leaving all his hope in this boy, so it was more than a natural reaction.

"Anyway... take out one of the Celestial Scarlet Peach. We should start as soon as possible..."

Atlas complied immediately and took out one of the fruits.

"Good... we can proceed now, yet I must inform you that consuming this fruit grants benefits but also some disadvantages. As for what those disadvantages are, well, you will know when the time comes."

Atlas was surprised by his statement since even Worfor's precious artifact, the Chaotiss, didn't know.

"Ok... eat first the peach and then the durian... Remember to peel the durian. Its zest is harder than metal."

Atlas followed Falerra's instructions and removed the thorn-covered rind.

It was difficult to remove, but a martial chaos artifact helped him complete the process.

The fruit's content was the same golden color and half the size of the whole fruit. Once opened, the stench was reduced considerably, yet it was still tricky to handle.

"Damn! It's like having a pile of shit on my hand..."

Atlas tried to not smell too much, but that perfume was already marked on his mind.

After one last deep look at the two fruits, Atlas wolfed down the peach.

As soon as the peach entered his stomach, he felt his body temperature rise incredibly fast. Next, sweat started flowing profusely from all over his body, and then an intense heat spread.

Powerful waves of energy filled with pure fire propagated from his body, burning even the air around him.

Atlas didn't stop noticing the tremendous changes and gulped down the durian instead.

As the golden fruit reached the stomach, two powerful energies collided. One gold and one red. It was a marvelous sight, even for Falerra, who was looking at Atlas attentively.

Atlas's skin kept changing color, and his body convulsed in pain each time that happened.

He could still hold back, but the pain became unbearable at some point, and...

AHHHH!!!

Ultimately, his screams of pain came out more strongly than ever. Even at that time when he gained the Chaotical Core, he couldn't compare it to this.

AHHHH!!!

One time, his skin was burning, and another felt like it was breaking into tiny fragments.

AHHHH!!!

There were worms under his skin, crawling all over. Some were covered by a golden halo and were cutting his flesh. Others instead were covered in dark red flames burning every inch of his body.

It was indeed hell on earth...

While his body and mind were suffering immense pain, something inside his body was changing for good.

The brilliant golden orb at the center of his chest was slowly morphing.

The golden surface was becoming more brilliant and slightly transparent. But this wasn't the end because, at some point on the surface, the orb turned dark red.

It was a clear sign that the element of fire was taking his rightful place inside the Chaotical Core.

After a long time, Atlas's screams ceased, and the room turned silent again. Only the Golden Light from Falerra was still present, but it didn't last long because it also faded slowly, letting the darkness devour the cave for a long time.

|||

"Mhm?!... Bloody hell! It disappeared again..."

Inside the tunnel, the creature's anguish screams were moving back and forth.

His rage burned even more fiercely when the last fruit disappeared.

Unfortunately, he could do nothing about that because the tunnel trapped him in an endless cage.

|||

Inside the Divine Sect...

"It's been three weeks since he entered the Maze... do we have any other news?"

"No... we lost contact with him almost a week ago. No new formation points were alerted..."

Inside the highest pavilion, the elders were once again reunited.

They had no worries or other emotions on their faces. They were simply checking the situation of this potential new disciple.

"That's so strange... he proceeded faster than that crazy fellow did. What is he doing inside?" One of the old men asked, looking at the miniature replica of the Maze of Despair in front of them.

Indeed, inside the room, there was a detailed miniature of the maze placed precisely at its center. It was round and had a radius of at least ten feet.

There were even some luminous points placed at specific points, and the ones at the entrance and the exit were particularly eye-catching.

Only a few old existences in the entire World of Oblivion knew about the true origins of the Maze of Despair.

Indeed, this canyon was only partially naturally formed. Most of it was a complex conjunction of high-level formations, a relic formed since immemorial times.

There were even more secrets, but the people who knew about them were probably dead a long time ago.

"Mmm... you are right! We can't see inside, but no matter what he used to achieve this level, his performances were genuinely top-notch." Another one responded. He was slightly shorter and more robust.

"Hey... should we go in and check it personally?" A middle-aged woman proposed.

"We can't... but we should inform the Sect Master."

....

Somewhere inside the Divine Sect...

"Did that fellow come out from the Maze of Despair?"

A few young men were discussing something inside a small room when the one sitting on the larger chair changed the subject.

The other people turned silent until one of them opened his mouth: "No... Senior Brother... there is still no news."

"Hmm... it took me three weeks to complete it... that's strange..."

The young man's words shocked everyone in the room because no one could understand why this crazy fellow was so interested in this young man.

"Senior Brother... you are an exceptional case... That kid is already dead for sure..."

At some point, another spoke his thoughts, but the leader was sure of his judgment: "Nha... I don't think that's the case..."

This young man was the same crazy fellow Atlas met outside the maze.

Rumors about his interest in the new guys were widely spread throughout the Divine Sect, but no one knew why.

"Hmmm... What is he doing inside? Maybe... I should take a stroll back and check it out."

Hearing his nonchalant declaration, the few people in the hall were left speechless.

He was planning to take a stroll inside the Maze of Despair?