In Law's initial estimation, the Dark Sonata should have increased the numerical value by at least 3%. Therefore, the values he obtained should have been an overflow.
'Was this the reason the time limit for entering Zetsu was now decreasing?'
Law wasn't sure, because the White Smoke Font did not provide an answer.
'3 times? 5 times? 7 times?'
The speed was gradually accelerating, like a stopwatch set to ten times its normal pace.
Focused intently on this process, Law had no attention to spare for the changing environment around him.
He had no idea how much the full six-year time limit would ultimately be reduced to.
If it could drop straight to zero seconds, that would be the best possible outcome.
Even if not, he had to find the underlying reason.
The faster the limit reached zero, the better. It would become an incomparable aid for the second Dark Continent expedition.
Law's emotions surged with excitement. He was certain his face must be showing an expression of eager anticipation right now.
But in reality, to Kuro and Ging, he was simply standing stock-still with his eyes tightly shut, not moving a muscle.
"It's started, huh..."
Ging observed Law calmly. The earlier black Nen had now been withdrawn into his body, leaving only a thin film of Aura covering his skin. Just as Law had said, this was the result of his Aura Nodes being only slightly open.
Entering Zetsu through Nen Exorcism wasn't strange.
What was strange was that exorcising a Nen curse could lead to becoming stronger.
Ging believed this was one of the ways Law grew stronger at such a rapid pace.
At this moment, Law's perception of the outside world had completely vanished, fully immersed within his consciousness space.
He kept staring at the rapidly diminishing time limit, to the point where he lost track of how much time had truly passed.
'One year gone.'
Watching the White Smoke Font now display only five years remaining, Law felt a surge of anticipation, because the accelerated countdown was still ongoing.
However, the time limit reverted to its normal countdown speed when it reached four years and five months.
'Only reduced by one year and seven months. That's an unexpected gain, but what exactly caused it?'
Law pondered, suspecting it might be due to absorbing an overflow of Nen.
If using 20% as a framework, his progression was divided into five such frameworks.
Currently, his attribute had reached 100%, placing him in the fifth and final framework, the maximum value.
In terms of data, there should theoretically be no more room for advancement.
But Law had never tried absorbing Nen from an object while already at 100%.
What if he could still absorb more?
If possible, what else could be improved?
And could it potentially further reduce the remaining time limit?
These questions couldn't be resolved now. Law finally shifted his attention away from the countdown numbers and looked at his monochrome surroundings.
He was in a gloomy stone chamber. The walls were adorned with vivid stone statues… naked men and women holding various vessels. The detail of the carvings was extremely precise, and without careful observation, one might mistake them for real people.
The stone chamber was spacious but sparsely furnished.
Apart from the wall statues, the room contained only a stone platform and dozens of candelabras with lit candles, making it feel quite empty.
The candle flames flickered slightly, but as Law's vision was in black and white, if not for the moving flames, he might have thought he was inside a static black-and-white painting.
On the stone platform at the center of the chamber lay a female corpse that was over eighty percent decomposed.
How could he immediately tell the highly decomposed corpse was female? Because it was wearing a pristine, snow-white dress.
Circling the room as a passive observer, Law found no visible entrance.
"Is this a burial chamber?"
Law speculated.
However, the half-burned candles and the corpse's brand-new clothing were clear points that contradicted his guess.
Another point: Law knew he was currently an observer within a memory fragment.
So, where was the owner of this memory fragment?
In this stone chamber, there was only a corpse.
Law suddenly looked at the decomposing corpse on the platform. 'Could it be...?'
Although he was an observer and couldn't interfere with the unfolding memory, he still retained his own keen eyesight and judgment.
With a single glance, he could tell the corpse was... normal.
No breath, let alone a heartbeat. It even emanated a palpable aura of death.
There was no one else in the chamber besides this corpse.
Law approached the platform, looking closely at the corpse's face.
The decomposed face showed no distinguishing gender features… the nose was gone, replaced by a twisted mass of flesh.
The corpse's eyes were shut, but given its state of decay, the sockets were likely empty.
Law calmly observed the corpse, his gaze shifting to its head, where only a few strands of hair clung to the festering scalp.
Since everything he saw was in black and white, he couldn't determine the true color of the hair.
Although this was a memory fragment, it felt nearly as immersive as reality.
A normal person suddenly transported to such an environment, facing a decomposing corpse, would undoubtedly feel a chill.
Law did not. Yet, as he neared the corpse, his senses detected a trace of... coldness.
There was a faint current of air in the chamber, almost imperceptibly weak.
This particular coldness emanated from the corpse itself.
'Was the carrier of this memory fragment really this corpse...?'
Just as this thought crossed Law's mind, the corpse's eyes suddenly opened.
As Law had expected, the sockets were empty.
But looking into those hollow sockets, one could distinctly feel... a gaze.
Law was within that gaze, yet the corpse paid him no heed. It sat upright and then got off the platform with movements like a normal person getting out of bed.
From the moment the corpse opened its eyes to it leaving the platform, Law remained impassive, his eyes following its movements.
'What is the connection between this corpse and the flute version of the Dark Sonata?'
Law wondered silently.
He wasn't particularly interested in this memory… he only wanted to know the ability effect and the price of the flute Sonata.
Then, he saw the corpse walk beneath one of the statues, extending a decayed hand, its fingernails gone, and press it against the statue's base.
A moment later, it withdrew its hand.
Law saw the corpse's palm now held some white, viscous, unknown substance, resembling a kind of grease or oil.
Then, the corpse raised its hand and pushed that greasy substance into its mouth.
"Wuuuuh..."
A sound like mournful weeping.
"Gah gah..."
The next moment, it shifted into an unpleasant laughter.
Weeping and laughing alternately, the corpse circled all the statues, taking a mouthful of the unknown greasy substance from each one.
After that, Law instinctively closed his eyes because the corpse removed its white dress.
He closed his eyes not out of any sense of gentlemanly conduct, but because... it was simply too grotesque to behold.
Perhaps he should be grateful the corpse wasn't crawling with maggots, but it was still visually unbearable.
After keeping his eyes shut for over ten seconds, Law heard a rumbling sound like stone shifting and instinctively opened them again.
The surface layer of the stone platform had been moved aside. Inside lay a naked, handsome man with golden hair, hands holding a flute resting peacefully on his chest.
The equally unclothed corpse stood beside the platform, silently gazing at the man who appeared to be in a deep slumber.
After a long while, the corpse picked up the flute and began to play.
A deep, resonant, and penetrating flute sound instantly filled the entire stone chamber.
The music sounded like a pair of heavy, comforting hands gently stroking one's head.
But then, the flute's tone abruptly shifted. It was as if those same hands suddenly changed their motion, cleanly and efficiently snapping a neck.
A flicker of surprise crossed Law's expression. He watched as the golden-haired man's body inside the platform began to visibly darken. Simultaneously, the decomposing body of the female corpse began to visibly rejuvenate.
Then, Law's ears detected a powerful heartbeat.
It belonged to the female corpse.