The SSS Ranked Villain's Return - Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Year and a half
[19:04:23:58:11]

[19:04:23:58:12]

[Do you wish to stop the timer here?]

[Yes/No]

[Warning: If the user decides to leave now, their rating will be: SSS-]

Hmm… Neraxis hummed in amusement, a smile on his face. It sure took a long time, didn’t it…

[Well, if I hadn’t shaved your beard, you’d be looking like a homeless person, so I’m glad it’s finally over,] Evangeline said with a giggle.

Nonetheless, he accomplished most of what he wanted to do during this floor, and any more would definitely harm his psyche.

One and a half years was quite taxing to say the least, but in the end, the rewards were more than worth it.

+—–+

[Status]

Name: Neraxis Valen

Age: 16 -> 17

Stigmata: [Fragment of Calamity {100%} (Seals Unlocked: 2) [Ready to unseal! Y/Y]

Affinity: [Eclipsed Abyss {SSS}]

—Perks:

[Aura of the Abyss] (Basic)

[Unyielding Vitality] (Intermediate)

[Cosmic Sight] (Intermediate)

—Stats:

Rank: D -> C+

Strength: D- -> C-

Agility: D -> C+

Stamina: D -> C+

Intelligence: C- -> B+

Mana Capacity: D -> C+

—Secondary Stats:

Luck: I-

Charm: B+ -> A+

—Skills:

[Eve of Ruin {E}]*

[Swordsmanship {E}]

[Stellar Dominion {A}]

[Minor Reflect {D}]

[Sword Dash {F}]

[Restorative Cut {E}]

[Vampiric Dominion {A}]

[Aegis of Eternity {C}]

[Crimson Sovereignty {S}]

—Fragment of Calamity Skill Tree (2/???)

[Simple Horizontal Slash]

[Simple Stab]

+—–+

[Congratulations.] Evangeline praised. [Though I wish you focused a bit more on training your skills and stats instead of those affinities.]

Well, I’d be A- ranked at most if I had done that; training affinities is worth more in the long run.

Nonetheless, each of his perks underwent a drastic change.

[Perk (1/3): Aura of the Abyss: A dark, star-speckled energy surrounds them, passively eroding objects, sapping strength from foes, as well as bending light and space subtly. Erosion has combined with Frost, making each attack passively freeze your enemies.]

(NEW) The user can cover objects with the power of Decay and Frost.

(NEW) The user may accelerate the rate at which the Decay happens.

(NEW) The user can slightly interfere with the laws of the world.

– Toggle ON/OFF

—Sapping effect: 10% -> 15% less damage done by those affected.

[Perk (2/3): Unyielding Vitality: Mana sustains the user’s body, healing wounds and restoring energy by absorbing life force from the environment or defeated enemies.]

(NEW) Any attack that would instantly kill leaves the user just barely alive.

[Perk (3/3): Cosmic Sight: The user’s sight is guided by the stars, increasing the damage of all vital hits by 125% -> 150%. The user can predict the opponent’s attacks with a very high success rate.]

(NEW) The user may glance into the opponent’s mind for a brief duration, influencing their thoughts to a small degree.

(NEW) The user can now tell when someone is lying with 100% accuracy.

Although some changes were better than others, Neraxis was nonetheless left satisfied, and now, he could finally leave this place.

[Do you wish to stop the timer here?]

[Yes/No]

Pressing “Yes,” a wave of relief immediately washed over him, making him slump down to the ground with exhaustion.

[Dreamspire – 5th Floor Hard Mode: Chamber of Patience – Complete]

[Climber: Neraxis Valen]

[5th Floor Rating: SSS-]

[Position: 290,117,455 -> 172,331,771]

[Current Progress: 5/? Floors]

[Dreamspire – 6th Floor Hard Mode: Hollow Ascent – Available]

[Do you wish to enter?]

[Yes/No]

Neraxis pressed “No” without even a single doubt, and was immediately transported back outside.

Yet when the light hit his eyes, he was left dazed.

However, it only lasted for a moment, as soon, the guard from earlier ran over, a horrified look on his face.

“Young man… Just how long did you spend inside the 5th floor? Your ranking shot up almost as much as the other floors.” The guard asked.

“Hmm? I think it was two weeks or so? I can’t remember.” Neraxis replied and began walking away.

However, the guard stopped him. “Wait! Someone came here to see you! They’re an important person… So for both our sakes, please speak with them…”

“I see. Did they leave a name?” Neraxis asked, and the guard nodded.

“Specter? I think?”

At those words, Neraxis immediately froze.

Specter was a government codename, and that particular codename belonged to one of the executives that oversaw Project Z17.

It was also the person who was behind the dissection of one of the heroes.

“Tell Specter I will be waiting patiently.” Neraxis said with a straight face, and the guard scurried over to his booth, before making a phone call.

Only a few days should have passed, right? Outside, I mean.

[Yes, though you might want to go on a date with one of the girls, since you seem out of it. I guess it’s still a bit too much for humans to be in isolation for more than a year.] Evangeline commented.

Seems like it, but I need to figure out how to first deal with the situation at hand. Neraxis pondered before taking out a certain device from his dimensional ring.

It was a phone, which he used to directly contact Amara, and soon, he sent a message.

<Neraxis: Specter has caught wind of my existence, he wants to meet with me.>

He knew it would be enough, since from the looks of things, Amara was more than aware of the project.

It did not take long to receive a response.

<Amara: Noted. Don’t say anything you’re not supposed to, the others will help you out if a threat arises.>

Neraxis read that, and put the phone back inside the dimensional ring.

There were still things he needed to do, such as, check out the system log, as well as ‘hang’ out with Evangeline later.

Of course, he also had to figure out how to rank up his main skill, since it was at a bit of a bottleneck.

But that was for later, as now, he had to deal with the current situation at hand.

“Neraxis Valen?” A familiar voice rang out from the side.

He turned toward it, and what greeted his sight, was a pale man with long golden hair staring at Neraxis, a wide smile on the man’s face.

“Specter, I assume?” Neraxis asked.

“That’s correct. I apologize for the delay, I came as soon as I could.” Specter performed a curt bow, apologizing.

This snake… Neraxis thought, narrowing his eyes.

After his {Cosmic Sight} was upgraded, he could see through lies, and those words were nothing but lies.

Nonetheless, Neraxis wouldn’t point it out, for now at least. “How could I help you?”

“Ah, yes.” Specter scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed. “I work with the government, and I was wondering if you would be interested in joining a division of ours?”

Neraxis tilted his head. “Division?”

“Haha, yes.” Specter nodded. “Recently, we formed divisions which would be sent out to monster zones to retake our land. Each division consists of strong individuals, and judging from your performance, I believe you would be a good fit.”

Lies. Neraxis rolled his eyes. “Were these your thoughts before or after I entered Dreamspire?”

“After, of course.” Specter plainly nodded. “We see no use in someone who’s not special, and you, Neraxis Valen, are special.”

“That’s a bit bold, don’t you think?” Neraxis said with a chuckle. “But I apologize, I’m not looking for any added work as of late. I still have the academy on my mind.”

“Ah, that’s a pity…” Specter replied with a sigh. “The Skryder Academy students were a bit more eager after hearing my proposal.”

Neraxis’s brows twitched. “If you don’t mind me asking, who were the ones selected from that academy?”

“Hmm… I believe it was Bale Leahart, Alice Windsom, and Lar Hardcrest,” Specter said, trailing off. “I think there was one more, but I wasn’t the one who recruited them.”

“I see…” Neraxis nodded with a stiff expression before saying, “I’m not interested in joining the division, but I would consider going on these monster zone clearing expeditions of yours.”

“Oh?” Specter’s eyes widened. “The more the merrier, Neraxis Valen. As long as you show interest, I will make sure to accommodate your needs,” he pulled out his phone before typing something in.

As he clicked send, Neraxis’s phone suddenly vibrated, and once he reached in to check it, a frown appeared.

“You have my number?” Neraxis asked skeptically.

But Specter merely chuckled in response. “I have everyone’s number. I will keep in touch, see you later, Neraxis.”

With those words, Specter walked over to a black SUV not too far away, and soon drove off, leaving the stunned Neraxis in front of the Dreamspire entrance.

[I didn’t expect you to show interest that openly.] Evangeline said with amusement.

Did it come off that way? he chuckled. This is a great opportunity to finally meet my former ‘friends,’ why wouldn’t I be interested?

Nonetheless, Neraxis would come back to Dreamspire right after he was finished with the side tasks, therefore, he headed over to the mall where Celina’s secret hiding place was.

It was empty, with only a single note he spotted in the distance, and as he opened it up, he saw the drawing of a cute black cat.

“Pfft…” He held back his laugh and sat down on the mattress, before glancing at one of the two system messages before him.

[Unread System Logs: 1]

[Would you like to view them? Y/N]

[Not me?] Evangeline pouted.

Well, it’s better to get the bad stuff out the way first. Neraxis replied, and without waiting further, pressed “Yes.”

Immediately, a familiar sight materialized before him. It wasn’t a voice recording, nor was it related to the last time.

But the only reason it was familiar was simply because…

“We welcome your return, Fragment of the Eternal Sin.”