Chapter 179: Load The File Again! I'm Really In A Hurry!

On the endless river of time, it seemed to flow eternally, without pause or end.

Even the smallest, weakest grain of gravel appeared helpless, unable to resist the river's relentless force. It could not move upstream, only surrender to the current, being carried away by the ever-moving waters. 

But within this vast and ceaseless flow, the river seemed to change. The rushing waters began to slow, then, in the next moment, they started to flow backward. Like a video rewinding, everything in the river reversed course, as though time itself had been set in reverse.

In the midst of this flowing river stood a lone figure, a spectral presence seated on a small boat, moving upstream against the current of time.

"Ahh..." Novak exhaled, his breath heavy with exhaustion.

The boundary between life and death is shrouded in mystery, a veil few can truly pierce. Yet, in this moment, Novak had glimpsed it. 

The endless abyss stretched before him, familiar in its oppressive darkness. It was the abyss, the well of the abyss, a place that felt like a nightmare repeating endlessly, looping over and over without end.

The cycle of reincarnation continued unabated, trapping him within its eternal rhythm.

But the confusion in Novak's eyes began to fade. Though the unsettling sensation of brushing against death still lingered in his heart, he focused on what lay ahead.

[The trialist's status has returned to peak condition. Prepare for the trial.]

[Current demon lord of the first floor of the abyss: None. Extracting the imprint of a former demon lord and condensing a level 10 phantom. Prepare for the trial!]

The first floor… 

Novak stood before the familiar abyss, regaining his bearings. He quickly re-centered his consciousness, reintegrating his mind with his own soul. 

Once more, the illusory hourglass of time materialized in his hands, vivid and perfect. The crystalline surface of the hourglass shimmered with clarity, like the most flawless artwork in existence. His gaze locked onto its powers, drawn to the hourglass' extraordinary ability:

[Return to the Past: Allows you to rewind to a previous point in time (cannot return to any point before entering the well of the abyss). All progress in the erased timeline will be lost. (Cooldown: none)]

Novak exhaled deeply, releasing all his worries and anxieties. 

As expected, his time-rewinding ability had returned, functioning like an exploitable glitch. After being restored by the abyss's judgement, all his powers were back at their peak.

His attention drifted away from the reappearing first floor of the abyss and the demon warrior Balkh, who had also resurfaced. His thoughts were consumed by what had just happened. 

For the first time after his death, Novak had used the hourglass to go back in time. But then, almost immediately after, he had been killed again. Dead, yet killed a second time.

The Shadow Sword Demon—what kind of profession was that?

That demon lord on the hundredth floor, that strange lemur-like creature—what 'was' it?

Although Novak was now certain of one thing: that lemur-like demon lord of the hundredth floor must have been at least a level 70 lord.

In other words, the lord of the 100th floor was already as formidable as Pukasiumi, the Plague Bishop who had once sacrificed his life for Novak. In later eras, across the heavens and myriad worlds, beings who reached such a level of power, completing the third evolution in their profession, were already regarded as saints.

In his previous life, Novak's strength had reached that same stage, that same realm. A saint-level demon lord. Even though the abyss's will did not pit him against a true saint, facing a being with the blessing of a third-rank profession was enough to overwhelm Novak. 

The Shadow Sword Demon's eerie speed, the bizarre assassination techniques that materialized from the shadows—how did they manage such things?

At that moment, Novak found himself missing a demon lord like Balkh.

Balkh was chatty, and weak. There was no better opponent than him.

This strange Gilbert, the demon lord with minimal speech, made Novak fully understand the saying: "Beware the quiet ones." Except in this case, it wasn't a quiet 'person', but a devil who refrained from speaking much.

Novak frowned. How could he counter such an unpredictable method of attack?

The Shadow Sword Demon—what kind of profession change was that for the third rank? If Novak had some understanding of its past career paths and abilities, he might be able to formulate a strategy to deal with it. 

After all, in the vast Trial Field of Gods and Demons, and throughout the heavens and myriad worlds, there were countless professions. Many offered more effective second-rank evolutions, or even further variations of second-rank jobs. There could be several third-rank options—how could Novak possibly know them all?

However, despite not knowing, he felt like he still had a chance to figure it out.

He glanced at the hourglass of time, which slowly faded from view.

Novak couldn't help but marvel at the game-breaking ability of the hourglass. 

To go back to the past, literally return to a previous moment—such a heaven-defying power truly existed.

With the combined effects of the abyss's will and the time hourglass, it was as if he had discovered a cheat code. Every time he returned to the past, he was restored to his peak condition. Essentially, with the hourglass of time, he had infinite lives—he could keep trying and dying as many times as he needed.

The gods were right; no living creature, not even the gods themselves, might be able to pass this trial! 

This was only the hundredth floor, and the difficulty was already overwhelming! If he were to venture deeper into the abyss, facing entities with divine attributes, even if they were at the same level 10, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Had it not been for his unique ability, Novak would have perished countless times by now. This time, he had truly died.

But with the ability to "reload," it seemed he had more than enough chances to keep trying.

"What's going on?! Wasn't this king already dead?! How is he back to life?! The great will of the abyss..."

Balkh's excited roar sounded almost comforting to Novak at this point.

In an instant, Novak shot forward, evading Balkh's strike effortlessly. A swift, precise blow pierced Balkh's heart. 

What had taken him nearly half an hour to achieve during their first battle was over in less than ten seconds this time.

As Balkh's shadow dissolved in disbelief, Novak listened to the familiar chime of the abyss's will and said:

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to chat with you some more. You know, I've realized that demon lords like you, who talk a lot, are actually quite fun. But, sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush!"