"Attempting to meddle with this forbidden power can only mean you're courting death!"
You must know, being targeted by the Heavenly Principles is far more terrifying than dealing with the Seven Archons.
"What do you mean, courting death? It's precisely by mastering this power that my path to restoration will be smooth!"
This old man is nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well, unlike Nathan, who knows everything about the game.
Moreover, even if he did know, he wouldn't give up the power he's obtained.
"Ah, forget it. Let me just send you on your way!"
Nathan felt he was being quite merciful, upholding the tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, by sending the old man to his grave before the Heavenly Principles came knocking.
"Hmph, arrogant brat! It's you who's courting death!"
With the old man's furious shout, the pitch-black monster assumed an attacking stance.
If this were in the game, it would undoubtedly be a boss battle!
"Father... wait, I haven't left yet!"
The monster charged toward Nathan, but in the midst of it all, the Knight Ed stood there.
"Roar!"
Before he could finish speaking, one of the monster's heads lunged forward.
"Ahhhh..."
The scream was cut short as the monster swallowed him whole right in front of Nathan.
"Uh... you won't even spare your own son?"
"That useless waste is of no value anymore. Besides, only by sacrificing living beings can this demonic beast grow stronger!"
Even a vicious tiger doesn't eat its own cubs. This old man is truly someone prepared to do anything for his ambitions.
"Not enough! These sacrifices aren't pure enough. Keep going!"
Upon hearing the old man's command, the demonic beast didn't immediately go after Nathan.
Instead, it swiftly moved toward the unconscious soldiers, its three heads opening wide as it devoured the entire squad in one gulp.
"No wonder you had your eyes on Rosalyne. It was all to feed this monster!"
Nathan could clearly sense that after devouring those people, the monster's aura grew even stronger.
"What's the point of all this talk? You'll just become its next meal, a stepping stone for my restoration of the dynasty!"
"You old fool, just go quietly. Stop causing trouble in this world!"
Nathan sighed, not wanting to waste any more words on the old man.
"Attack! Take down this insolent brat!"
With Nathan as the only one left in the arena, the three-headed monster locked its full attention on him.
"Slash!"
A burst of lightning erupted as Nathan's sword struck one of the dog-like heads.
Black blood splattered, instantly corroding the surrounding area.
"Hahaha, you brat actually dared to touch that golden blood! Now you'll be assimilated by the Abyss!"
It turned out that not only would the monster devour you, but even touching its blood was dangerous!
The old man laughed maniacally from above, clearly not entirely ignorant.
At least from his tone, he seemed to know what the Abyss represented.
However, unfortunately for him, Nathan wasn't an ordinary person. He was a cheater with the Simulator System!
[You have been tainted by a cursed aura. You may now choose a branching path!]
[Option 1: Accept. You will gain the power of the Abyss and become one of its members.]
[Option 2: Reject. The Abyss's corruption will be erased, but you will temporarily receive a three-day debuff.]
"Debuff? What's that?"
[It's a status that slightly reduces your stamina and energy, lasting only three days.]
"Hmm, if it's just three days, then it's nothing. I choose to reject!"
Without a second thought, Nathan chose to reject.
No way was he going to turn into one of those ugly Abyss monsters.
For one thing, what would happen to Rosalyne?
What if the Abyss transformation didn't wear off when he left this life's simulation?
[You have chosen to reject. The Abyss's influence will now be erased, and you will receive a stamina-reducing debuff.]
In an instant, Nathan felt a wave of exhaustion, even though he hadn't done anything.
Fortunately, as the system had said, it was only a slight reduction in energy.
At the very least, it was still enough to deal with this ugly monster.
"Ahahaha, become an Abyss monster... cough cough!"
Meanwhile, the old man, seeing the black aura emanating from Nathan, was laughing hysterically.
But the black aura suddenly vanished, leaving the old man gasping for breath!
"Impossible! How could you resist the Abyss's corruption?"
Having experimented on countless humans, he knew full well the terror of the Abyss's power.
So seeing Nathan completely unharmed was something he couldn't accept.
"Whatever, I have cheats!!!"
The power of the system was Nathan's greatest trump card.
Although the Simulator System was often unreliable, it always came through in critical moments.
"Even if you don't turn into a monster, you'll still become its next meal!"
The pitch-black monster charged again, the wound Nathan had inflicted already fully healed.
This terrifying regenerative ability was the most troublesome thing for ordinary people.
But unfortunately for the monster, due to the debuff, Nathan wanted to end this quickly.
"Fire of Sin Burning!"
A milky-white flame appeared in Nathan's palm, though due to the debuff, it was noticeably smaller than before.
But as they say, it was still more than enough.
The massive three-headed monster, upon seeing the flame, instinctively began to retreat.
"What's going on? Keep attacking! Don't be fooled by this brat's tricks!"
The old man scolded the monster below, having already witnessed Nathan's Electro abilities.
He refused to believe that one person could wield two elements. This had to be a bluff.
"Whether it's a trick or not, you'll find out soon enough!"
The flame in Nathan's hand transformed into a whip, and with a flick, it lashed out at the monster.
The massive creature had no chance to dodge and was instantly engulfed in flames.
"Roar!"
This Abyss monster, born from sin, had met its natural enemy in the Fire of Sin Burning.
"No... no!"
Amidst the agonized wails, the old man's dream of restoring his family was reduced to ashes.
"Next... it's your turn!"
Nathan looked up at the old man on the second floor. He wasn't going to let him off.
With a glance into the castle, he saw a scene straight out of hell.
It was a place where human experiments were conducted, with corpses piled up everywhere.
The flames rose, engulfing the entire castle.
This place of sin, Nathan intended to burn it all to the ground.
"Hahaha, don't think this is over. Even if I die, the black calamity has already risen from the depths. All of Mondstadt will join me in death!"
Amidst the flames, the old man left his final words.
[All conditions have been met. You will now enter the final chapter of this simulation—The Black Suffering.]
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