Void Evolution System

Damien kept his gaze sharp. He stepped back as they stepped forward as if intimidated by their presence.

His eyes stayed not on them, but on their aura. It was difficult to dissect it with his awareness alone, but it was necessary to try.

The leader seemed to be telling the truth about his whole "life lesson" thing. He was somewhat sincere in his intentions, though his plan was still to beat and rob him.

It wasn't too surprising. If this was as Damien presumed, then all of these people once had great stature. They were beings who could rule the cosmos with their power alone, so they couldn't naturally possess the demeanor of a street thug.

Instead, if they chose to take on such roles out of necessity, then it was natural for a little bit of their original character to shine through.

Damien didn't act scared. There was no way he'd be scared in this situation. He looked more like a cornered tiger who still wanted to fight despite knowing his disadvantages.

The bandit leader approached, not saying a single word, and raised his club. The red and black energy swirled and turned into a manifestation of some sort, but Damien couldn't recognize its form.

Perhaps it was a creature from that man's original world, but to Damien, it was something that "didn't exist."

'Oh?'

Despite his situation, Damien was pleasantly surprised.

Right, Nonexistence was also subjective, wasn't it?

If a person was ignorant, then wasn't anything outside their sphere of knowledge nonexistent?

Because Damien was on such a high pedestal, there wasn't much that didn't exist in his world. That made it hard for him to imagine the things he could use to get closer to the concept.

But this was a method.

In this way, he could absolutely strengthen his comprehension.

Nevertheless, now wasn't the time.

Damien watched the club approach in slow motion, contemplating whether or not he should let it hit him.

He didn't know until a second later that it was never fated to land.

BANG!

Before the energy reached Damien, it was blocked by another. It was similarly dark but did not have the same red accents. Still, it smelled of Nonexistence.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

A powerful voice came from behind. Hearing it, Damien really felt like he was twenty again and in a world where everyone was his senior.

An aged man with a thick beard approached from behind looking at the five with furious eyes.

"You idiots…do you know what it means for someone new to come here after all this time?! And you treat him like this?! Blasphemous!"

"H-Harold! Wait, I was just trying to help him out!"

"Help him out, my ass. I know it's getting hard for you, but don't stoop this low."

The bandit leader gritted his teeth and glared at the man named Harold.

"Try it."

Harold sneered.

The bandit leader gripped his club harder, but he wasn't allowed to take a single step. That slight sign of aggression was enough for Harold to swipe his arm, creating a cloud of black wind that devoured the group of five whole.

"They'll come back. Only, they'll be a little weaker next time."

Harold glanced at Damien with a smile.

"Follow me, boy. I will take you to a safer place."

Damien nodded without hesitation.

'I was right.'

He followed Harold, but he didn't need all of the information the man was willing to provide.

Damien was certain that his thoughts about the realm were correct.

This was indeed a place created by Nonexistence, and there had to be a condition that needed to be fulfilled for them to leave.

'The good thing is that time is probably fake here too. I'll be back the same moment I left when I get out.'

The bad thing was that depending on the condition, it could take an unreasonable amount of time for Damien to get back to that moment in the first place.

'But as long as I do well here, I can leave with more comprehension of Nonexistence than anyone.'

It was a huge opportunity, but it was clearly the opposite for the people who stayed here.

Nevertheless, Damien followed Harold to learn about the specific mechanics of this place. He also wanted to hear the stories of the people who called this place home.

It wasn't yet clear if Harold was an enemy, but Damien got the feeling that he at least didn't want him dead. That was enough for now.

Harold took him to the lighthouse he saw in the distance when he first arrived. There was a small town around it, made up of shabby log houses that looked to be recently constructed.

"They were built millions of years ago in our perception. However, one must reach a certain level of proficiency in the concept of the Abyss to gain time to build. Those of us still on this island are unable to do so," Harold commented.

"Including you?" Damien asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. Despite my time here, the Abyss has not come closer than it was near when I first arrived."

Damien didn't question what the "Abyss" was. Every cosmos likely had its own way of naming Nonexistence. It was only called as such in the True Void because he decided that Existence and Nonexistence were what stood between creation and destruction and the Void.

For someone who spoke as if he experienced the construction of these cabins to say that he made no progress was more concerning than any sort of difference in names.

Harold didn't take him into the lighthouse, but to the closest house to its entrance.

Once they were inside, he motioned for Damien to have a seat and poured a strange concoction unlike anything Damien had seen before.

"This is Urbet, a common beverage consumed by the people of my home. Feel free to try some."

Harold sat down across from Damien, placing their cups on the table.

"Now, newcomer, allow me to inform you about this realm; the Land of Nothingness."

Harold's expression was stern. His eyes were empty as if this story was one that haunted him during every waking moment.

'The Land of Nothingness…'

Otherwise known as the Land of the Forgotten.

It was a place where the Unrecorded went to die when they became too arrogant, a place where experts perished like flies.

It was a prison for people who could not reach the extent of their potential, and a paradise for those who could.

This place was the exact reason why the Void wasn't filled with cosmos at war. It was the place that confined the people who had the potential to cause that kind of chaos.

However, it was never meant to be a prison.

Instead, this was the test of qualifications that Damien skipped when he became a God.

This time, like everyone else, he had to struggle to reach the heights he dreamed of.

However, he was prepared for it.

His time as a supreme being didn't erase all of the experiences that got him to that point. The spirit inside of him never died. It merely went into hibernation as it was no longer needed.

As Harold talked, as he learned about the truths of this realm, Damien's eyes lit up with the flames of burning determination.

He was going to conquer this place and return to his own cosmos.

And he was going to do it faster than anyone else had done before.