Chapter 485
First, he went deeper—further inside, into the depths of Ouroboros.
Normally, the maximum range of [Teleportation] was from the surface to the upper atmosphere. But with [Boundary Line] mixed into it, Taesan could move far beyond that limit. He arrived at a place far removed from the planet he’d just left.
But Ouroboros had devoured the entire universe itself.
No matter how many times he activated [Teleportation], it wouldn’t be enough to reach the true center.
[You have activated Teleportation (Chaos).]
So he kept leaping through space, traveling ever deeper.
The farther he went, the more planets he saw—dozens of them, each filled with tens of millions of living beings.
Ouroboros hadn’t consumed just one planet. Dozens of life-bearing worlds had been swallowed and fused into its being.
Taesan passed them by. He could have freed them using [Boundary Line], but not without immense cost—it wasn’t just one or two people.
If he eliminated the root cause, they would all be freed naturally.
Gathering his mana, he invoked more power.
[You have activated Magic Stacking.]
[You have activated Teleportation (Chaos).]
He layered the his teleportation, liberating his movement.
His body leapt through space, deeper and deeper into the abyss.
After an uncountable number of jumps, he sensed something change.
Until now, aside from the forced temporal reversals, Ouroboros’s influence hadn’t felt especially strong.
But from this point on—it was different.
Simply existing here caused his body’s time to warp and twist chaotically.
Taesan wrapped his body in black. The encroaching power of Ouroboros was blocked by that darkness.
“It’s getting closer.”
He was heading from the outer region toward the core—Ouroboros’s power was growing stronger with every step.
Confirming that he was going in the right direction, Taesan activated [Teleportation] again and went even deeper.
The farther he traveled, the thicker the oppressive aura became. Without the black energy shielding him, even he would’ve felt crushed by its weight.
‘There’s nothing alive here.’
He occasionally saw remnants that looked like once-living beings—some even seemed to have reached immortality.
They were likely the same immortals who had once gone searching for Ouroboros, as that first immortal had mentioned.
But they’d long been consumed by its power, twisted beyond recognition, no longer living creatures.
Taesan continued deeper still. Even with teleportation, the distance was immense. He traveled for days without rest.
And finally—he reached the deepest point.
“Urgh.”
He groaned softly. The black aura covering his body screamed, twisting violently.
From here on, even the black energy couldn’t endure.
Taesan enveloped himself fully in the [Boundary Line] and looked around.
[…What even ‘is’ this place?]
The ghost’s voice was stunned.
Space and time were distorted beyond comprehension—it was like staring into a hallucination.
[Not exactly a place to hang around in.]
“I won’t be here long.”
First, he had to locate the serpent.
Shielded by the [Boundary Line], Taesan began to move.
But Ouroboros didn’t reveal itself easily. The twisted space and time distorted his vision and senses.
He would need to stabilize this area before he could properly perceive it.
Taesan gathered his strength.
[You have activated Great Collapse (Chaos).]
A surge of chaotic power erupted deep within Ouroboros.
Like mist being blown away, distorted space and time were forcibly cleared, and his vision widened.
He scanned the surroundings quickly.
The serpent was nowhere to be seen.
But something else was.
Taesan squinted.
“What is that?”
It was a formless power.
Like barnacles clinging to a ship’s hull, something was attached to the twisted fabric of space and time. It warped the surrounding dimensions, erasing the meaning and value of everything within it.
And from that formless power—he felt the energy of the Old Gods.
‘So the reason Ouroboros malfunctioned… was because of the Old Gods.’
He wasn’t surprised. He’d suspected as much. The magician probably had too. If Ouroboros had been manipulated by someone, the only beings capable of doing that were the Old Gods.
Just as he moved to confirm it—
[How dare you!!!]
A thunderous voice shook the cosmos. The sound of space itself tearing apart rang in his ears. Taesan instinctively raised his sword.
[The wretched spawn of those creatures! You dare crawl here!?]
A colossal power descended upon him—an overwhelming concept condensed into pure force.
If it struck directly, he would die. No skill could save him. That blow carried absolute authority.
Taesan raised the [Boundary Line] to its limit and struck downward.
BOOOOM!
The impact roared. Space itself shuddered. Taesan’s brow twitched. The [Boundary Line] couldn’t fully repel the force.
It wasn’t due to incompatibility—the sheer density of that power was overwhelming. It contained the full weight of a being’s existence. Even the [Boundary Line] couldn’t disperse it completely.
Taesan sharpened the line further.
He focused the power into his blade and swung. The descending attack split apart.
KUUUUUNG!
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue. Even blocking a single strike had consumed a large portion of his [Boundary Line].
Then, a furious voice echoed again.
[How dare you! Insolent creature!]
The air itself filled with killing intent so thick it was tangible. Any normal being—even an immortal—would have suffocated instantly.
[Die.]
With that whisper, something enormous descended.
Condensed laws took physical form, aiming to crush Taesan.
Only beings who governed and controlled the laws themselves could wield such power.
This was the true strike of an existence far above Taesan’s current level.
[You have activated Call of Chaos.]
Gray energy enveloped his entire body. He focused it into his blade and thrust upward at the incoming force.
[Foolish one. Do you think your corruption can affect ‘me’?]
A mocking voice reverberated. Taesan didn’t respond—he only focused his will.
CRAAAACK!
The law itself began to distort. The killing intent within that condensed power vanished.
[What?]
A startled voice cried out. Taesan detonated his domain. The law that had tried to crush him disappeared.
“Close one.”
Suppressing the immense burden on his body, Taesan gripped his sword tighter.
The entity that had attacked him seemed taken aback—it made no further moves.
“I am not your enemy, Great Transcendent,” Taesan said evenly.
Silence lingered, reverberating through the warped space. A presence watched him closely.
Then—
Vrrrrrrm!
Energy rippled and condensed.
Before Taesan appeared an old man with a fierce, irritable expression, frowning deeply.
“You… what are you? I can feel ‘their’ power from you, but you don’t look like one of their slaves.”
“I am not one of them,” Taesan said calmly. “If anything, I’m their enemy.”
He continued, “I came here at the request of the magician who created the labyrinth.”
“The labyrinth? What’s that supposed to be?”
Taesan paused. The old man truly didn’t know what a labyrinth was.
The transcendent studied him curiously.
“…Now that I look closer, your aura feels familiar. Like some of those bastards I’ve known.”
Taesan understood what he meant.
The old man was someone blessed by the transcendents—one of their kind. He’d clearly existed since ancient times.
“Strange, but… you don’t seem to be my enemy. Whoever this ‘magician’ is, he’s a transcendent, right? You came to scout this place?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. You don’t seem strong enough to endure here… and you even tampered with my law. That gray power of yours—it’s very unusual. What’s happening outside these days?”
The old man grumbled. Since his hostility had faded, Taesan lowered his guard.
“May I ask your name?”
Taesan’s tone was polite.
The old man was powerful—overwhelmingly so. Taesan had only seen such strength a few times before: Rakiratas, Maria, and the magician.
The old man replied,
“I am the God of Essence—Essential.”
A transcendent who governed the concept of essence itself.
Taesan immediately realized—this was the great being the immortal had spoken of.
Essential squinted at him.
“…You’ve reached the level of transcendence, but you’re warped. I can’t read you properly.”
After studying Taesan with a puzzled gaze, he said,
“You came here to solve Ouroboros, didn’t you?”
Taesan nodded. Essential stroked his chin.
“I don’t know who sent you, but the other transcendents wouldn’t grant their blessings to someone unworthy. Guess that’s enough for me.”
He laughed heartily and slapped Taesan on the back.
“Sorry for attacking you earlier! I thought you were one of those filth. I’d offer a reward, but there’s nothing worth giving in this cursed place.”
“That’s fine,” Taesan said. “By ‘filth,’ you mean the minions of the Old Gods, don’t you?”
“Yeah. They pop in here every now and then, pestering me. I’ve snapped all their necks, but they never learn.”
Essential’s tone was indifferent. If they’d reached this depth, those minions were at least immortals—but to him, they were mere pests.
And he had the power to back that attitude.
“If you came here to fix this mess, then we’re allies. Two are better than one, right?”
He grinned.
“It’s a good sign that something’s finally changing in this damned stagnation.”
“May I ask a few questions?”
“Go ahead.”
“How long have you been here, Essential?”
“Hmm.”
He stroked his beard, thinking.
“I can’t say for sure. It was right after the Old Gods were banished from the world—so a long, long time ago.”
It matched what the magician had said. Essential frowned.
“We did win against those things. But they’d already scattered remnants of themselves across existence. Ouroboros twisting like this? That’s one of their leftover tricks.”
“So it really was the Old Gods.”
“The Serpent of Cycles shouldn’t have awakened for eons. But one of them interfered—broke it. That’s why I got caught and trapped here too. Annoying bastards.”
“Do you know which Old God caused it?”
“Of course I do,” Essential said.
“The Worthless One. That wretch.”
The Worthless One—the name Taesan had heard before in the Old God’s outpost.
He muttered softly, “So it wasn’t the Usurper, then.”
“The Usurper? You know of him? Hah, seems the other gods really like you,” Essential said, sounding surprised.
Taesan blinked.
“You know of the Usurper?”
“Of course I do,” Essential said, glancing at Taesan’s ring.
“Now that I think about it, that thing’s connected to him too. A damned troublesome being.”
[What?]
Akasha’s voice was filled with confusion.
Essential turned.
“Come along. We’ll talk as we go.”
“That seems best.”
Taesan’s eyes gleamed faintly.
Neither the magician nor the demon gods had known anything about the Usurper. It wasn’t that they’d forgotten—it was that the Usurper’s power had erased their memories.
Taesan had assumed he’d never find answers about that being.
But this transcendent remembered.
‘So it’s because he’s inside Ouroboros?’
He wasn’t sure—but it was a chance.
An unexpected opportunity to uncover the truth.