A Memory Best Forgotten

Months had gone by.

During that time, Edric had made remarkable progress in both of his tasks. His confidence in completing the Abyssal Gate mission had skyrocketed, and at the same time, his progress on the [Ancestor of a Nation] task had advanced by leaps and bounds.

If things continued at this pace, he could accomplish both within just a few years.

But fate was never so kind—nothing ever went exactly as planned.

...

Gisela gazed at the island before her.

"Is this Bluesand Island?" she asked one of the super knights—her bodyguard.

As a Super Mage of the Flicker Empire, she was both powerful and invaluable. Of course, the empire would never send someone like her without an escort of elite guards.

"That's right. According to the map, this is the place," the super knight confirmed.

Gisela narrowed her eyes. "Hmm… this island… Even though my sixth sense detects nothing unusual, something about it feels… wrong." Her expression darkened. "The mortal population here—something is off. There are tens of thousands of newborns with Mythic talent!"

As a mage, she could effortlessly see through the talents of mortals.

The knight's eyes widened in disbelief. "Tens of thousands?! How is that possible?"

"There's no sign of demonic bloodlines. My divination also reveals nothing… but we must be cautious. Seal this island immediately!" she commanded.

She didn't want to alert anything residing on the island, so she didn't order them to investigate, fearing that whatever was there might find out and escape.

Sealing space was not something done lightly. It harmed the world itself, yet Gisela did not hesitate—her instincts warned her to take no chances.

The super knight gave a sharp nod before turning to the five other super knights standing behind him, along with five ultra knights and fifteen high-ranking knights.

"Everyone, we're sealing the island. Get ready!"

Sealing a piece of space was no easy feat. It required an enormous amount of super-rank and extreme-rank resources, and even with the combined effort of multiple super-rank powerhouses, such a seal would only last for a few tens of thousands of years at most.

To completely seal a space, at least one Absolute Rank powerhouse was required.

This was because sealing space meant going against the will of the world itself. The world resisted such actions, as sealing a part of it was akin to cutting off a piece of its domain. 

The group of knights and mages moved swiftly to carry out their task, while Gisela remained watchful, ready to take action at the first sign of an anomaly.

Even though her sixth sense detected nothing, she was far from reassured. She knew that even if her perception was unparalleled, the Demon King of Wierdness might still possess a method to conceal himself from her sight.

...

Meanwhile…

Edric sipped a glass of wine, watching another round of Last Survivor unfold before him.

"That Fletcher at least had some good taste," he mused.

Some time ago, in a moment of boredom, he had decided to organize another Last Survivor event. After watching it once, he had become addicted and now hosted one every single day.

Although he dedicated 80% of his time to the Abyssal Gate, during his breaks, he always made time for at least one match.

Ding!

[ Host is now being transferred to the Abyss! ]

"What the hell?"

Edric nearly spat out his wine.

Before he could react, his vision blurred—

—And he vanished.

...

Moments after his disappearance…

The sky above Bluesand Island turned pitch-black. The sun vanished, swallowed by an eerie darkness. A layer of illusory green and purple light blanketed the land.

Days passed.

The world began to freeze. With no sun to provide warmth, the temperature plummeted. The once-thriving island became a land of ice.

Desperate, people attempted to escape by ship—only to collide with an invisible barrier. Their vessels shattered, swallowed by the icy waters.

The surrounding sea froze solid, forming a bridge of ice leading to the outside world. Some tried to flee on foot, but upon reaching the boundary, they found themselves blocked by an unseen force.

There was no way out.

And just like that—

Bluesand Island vanished from the world.

...

Edric frantically scanned his system interface, his heart pounding.

His progress in [Ancestor of a Nation] had once been promising. But in just a few days, his advancement had plummeted. Nearly all of his recent progress had been wiped out.

"Something happened to Bluesand Island…" he muttered, his face darkening. "Thankfully, the system saved me. The only problem is… I have no idea where I am."

He looked around.

But there was nothing to see.

An endless void of darkness surrounded him—vast, suffocating, all-consuming. No magic spell could illuminate his surroundings. 

Ding!

The system chimed.

But… there was no text.

"What was that?"

Suddenly—

A single red light appeared in the darkness.

It flickered. Then grew brighter. And brighter.

In mere seconds, the glow became so intense that even Edric couldn't look at it directly.

"It's… hot!"

The unbearable heat seared his skin. Agony shot through his body.

Edric screamed.

Then—darkness.

"…Hmm?"

Edric's eyes flickered open.

He was no longer in that void.

The sky stretched above him, scattered with stars and clouds. Everything seemed normal… except for one thing.

A blood-red and violet moon loomed in the sky—its shape eerily resembling an eye.

A closed eye.

"…So this is the Abyss."

Edric exhaled. Strangely, he felt calm—far too calm for someone who had just been thrown into hell itself.

"The system saved me from whatever happened on Bluesand Island… but it sent me here instead?" He scoffed. "Funny, I didn't know it could do that. I'm afraid my system is more than just a helper—unlike all those novels from my past life."

ROAR!

A deafening, earth-shaking howl tore through the air.

Edric turned, his breath catching in his throat.

A colossal monster—thousands of meters tall—stood before him.

A dragon.

It had nine heads, each more terrifying than the last. Its massive wings unfurled, stretching so wide that they blotted out the sky itself.

"Damn!" Edric nearly fainted just from its aura.

The pressure alone was enough to crush mountains, enough to shatter the minds of weaker beings.

"This is how I die…?"

The dragon's nine pairs of pupils locked onto him.

Edric braced himself for death.

But—

It didn't attack.

Instead…

It lowered its heads.

All nine heads bowed in submission.

It refused to even look at him.

"What…?" Edric froze. "Wait—could it be because of my [Blessed by the Abyss] skill?"

He quickly pulled up his system interface.

In the past, this skill had been suppressed. But now, it was fully active.

"It must be… but how do I use it?"

Normally, when Edric obtained a skill, the knowledge of how to wield it would come naturally. But some abilities required practice—just like when he had acquired [Steel Hair Manipulation].

At first, his hair had wildly flailed around, forcing him to tie it up for months just to keep it under control.

And when he first obtained [See-Through Vision], he had spent weeks seeing everyone naked before he finally learned how to turn it off.

"I don't know how to control [Blessed by the Abyss] yet… so I need to be careful."

"This dragon respects me because of my skill—but if it realizes I'm actually weak, it might turn on me!"

He straightened his back, forcing himself to appear powerful. "I must act like I can kill it in a single thought!"

Then, a sudden realization hit him.

"…Why am I so calm?"

By all logic, he should be panicking. He had just been thrown into hell, yet not a single trace of fear gripped him.

Instead—

He felt at home.

Like a fish returning to water.

A strange sense of happiness bubbled inside him. His mood soared. He felt… excited.

"…Is this really my first time in hell?"

Something about this place felt too familiar.

Yet—he couldn't remember.

This felt like where he truly belonged.

Ding!

[ Host is not yet allowed to remember. ]

Edric's expression darkened.

"…So you admit I was here before?" His voice was quiet, but firm. "Why am I not allowed to remember?"

Ding!

[ Host is not ready for the truth yet. ]

Edric clenched his jaw.

"…Tell me."

Ding!

[ Is the host certain he wants to know? ]

[ Yes / No ]

Edric didn't hesitate.

He pressed 'Yes.'

Ding!

[ Memory seal is being lifted! ]

[ Please refrain from performing sensitive tasks, as this process may be extremely uncomfortable. ]

Suddenly—

Agony.

It felt as if his mind and soul were being ripped apart.

A splitting, unbearable pain devoured him from the inside.

"AHHHHH—!!"

His screams echoed through the abyss.

And then—

Darkness.