Noah stood up slowly after a short rest.
His hands were still trembling.
Not from exhaustion alone… but from what he had just witnessed.
His own power.
It was growing too fast.
Too easily.
And instead of calming him—
it filled his mind with even more dangerous ideas.
"…What if I combine them?" he murmured under his breath.
His fingers rose again, forming that familiar gun-like shape.
This time—
No struggle.
No delay.
A Doom Shard formed instantly at his fingertips, rotating calmly as if it belonged there.
Noah smirked slightly.
"…So it's gotten this easy already."
But his gaze sharpened.
'Now… let's try something new.'
He focused.
Not on Ether.
Not on Will.
But on something else—
Intent.
Slowly… carefully… he visualized it.
Layering.
Wrapping.
Binding.
His Intent began to coat the Doom Shard, forming an invisible yet dense layer around it.
At first—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A violent strain hit him.
"Ugghhh—!"
His body stiffened.
His mind shook violently, as if something inside him was being torn apart.
And then—
The System reacted.
[Warning: Host Should Refrain From Doing This]
[Combining Intent, Will And Ether is Dangerous]
Noah's breathing turned unstable.
But he didn't stop.
"…Not yet…"
His teeth clenched.
His will pushed harder.
More Intent.
More pressure.
More control.
And then—
Sparks.
Tiny arcs of lightning burst from the surface of the Doom Shard.
"Zzzzt—! ZTTZZ—!"
They scattered wildly, striking the cave walls in chaotic bursts.
Noah's eyes widened slightly beneath the cloth.
"…It's reacting…"
The strain worsened.
His thoughts began to blur.
His control started slipping.
"Ughhh… T-This is enough…"
He couldn't hold it anymore.
Without hesitation—
He fired.
The Doom Shard shot forward like a beam of pure destruction, lightning trailing behind it like a tearing storm.
It struck the wall—
And—
Nothing.
No explosion.
No sound.
For a single moment—
Everything turned white.
Noah's mind froze.
'Wha—?'
And then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
The delayed explosion erupted with overwhelming force.
A shockwave blasted outward violently.
Noah didn't even have time to react—
His body was thrown back like a ragdoll.
"—!!"
He crashed into the obsidian wall behind him.
Hard.
Pain exploded through his entire back.
"…UGHHH—!!"
But the wall didn't break.
He did.
Or at least—
It felt like it.
His body screamed in agony, yet his physique activated instantly, beginning rapid recovery.
His breathing was chaotic.
His senses flickered.
But once they stabilized—
He extended them forward.
Toward the impact point.
And then—
He froze.
"…No way…"
A massive crater.
No—
More than that.
The wall had been erased outward.
A circular destruction nearly ten meters wide.
Clean.
Devastating.
Unreal.
"…Did I… do that…?"
His voice came out hollow.
Disbelief filled his mind.
That wasn't just stronger—
That was something else entirely.
And then—
The System chimed.
[Doom Shard Has levelled up!]
[Doom Shard Has levelled up!]
[Doom Shard Has levelled up!]
[Doom Shard (Lv.10) — Master Level Achieved!]
Silence.
Then—
A slow smile formed.
"…Haha…"
It grew wider.
Almost unstable.
"That was insane…"
He let out a breathless laugh.
"But if one idea can do this…"
"…then it's worth it."
He dropped back down, letting his body rest.
His mind still buzzed from the strain.
Then—
The System spoke again.
[Reminder: Host Has Three Rewards As Compensation]
[Host may choose any reward]
[Host may even name a desired reward]
Noah's expression shifted.
He remembered.
That promise.
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"…Anything… huh?"
He looked through the floating options appearing in his mind.
[Universal Seal…]
[Metamorphosis Elixir…]
[Crown of the Abyss…]
…and countless others.
But he didn't care.
"…You won't let me meet her…"
His voice lowered.
"So I won't ask for that."
A faint grin appeared.
"…I'll ask for something worse."
He leaned back slightly.
Eyes closed.
Then spoke—
"Give me a Talent called… 'Limit Breaker.'"
A pause.
Then—
[The Reward is Viable. Would you like to Synchronize it? Y/N]
Noah's grin widened.
"…Yes."
[Synchronization of Talent 'Limit Breaker' has started…]
He waited—
Expecting pain.
Strain.
Something.
But—
Nothing came.
"…Huh?"
And the next moment—
His vision went dark.
—
Silence.
—
Then—
Something wrapped around him.
Threads.
Invisible.
Yet suffocating.
A cocoon formed around his body, sealing him completely.
Inside—
Change began.
His cells—
They moved.
Split.
Multiplied.
Thousands—
Millions—
Billions—
His body reshaped itself at a fundamental level.
Muscles refined.
Bones strengthened.
Everything—
Evolved.
—
Hours passed.
—
CRACK—
The cocoon shattered.
Noah stepped out.
"…Ughhh…"
His legs trembled.
His body ached everywhere.
"Damn… what the hell was that…"
He exhaled heavily.
Then—
The System responded.
[Talent: Limit Breaker Successfully Synchronized]
[Talents: Sword God Physique (???), Limit Breaker (???)]
[Limit Breaker: A Talent that allows the Host to break limits in all aspects—physical, mental, and conceptual. Growth accelerates during extreme conditions.]
Noah read it slowly.
Then—
He laughed.
"…Now THIS…"
"…this is what I'm talking about."
His grin turned sharp.
"Second one."
He didn't hesitate.
"Give me… 'Concept Merger.'"
The System paused.
Then—
[The Reward is Viable But Has a Severe Cost]
[Cost: Fate will intertwine. Trouble will follow the Host constantly]
Silence.
Noah frowned slightly.
"…Trouble, huh…"
He thought for a moment.
Then—
He smirked.
"…Like I don't already have that."
"Do it."
[Concept Merger Successfully Registered]
[Concept Merger: Allows merging of Skills, Talents, Abilities, Concepts, and Laws to create stronger forms]
Noah laughed again.
Louder this time.
"Hahaha… now I'm really becoming broken…"
He exhaled slowly.
Then looked forward again.
"…Last one."
His tone changed.
More serious.
"Give me… the Power of 'Infinity.'"
Silence.
Longer this time.
Then—
[The Reward is Viable… But Cost is Astronomical]
Noah didn't move.
He waited.
Then—
[Cost: The Universe will assign missions. Host cannot refuse]
Noah inhaled slowly.
"…So I'll lose freedom."
A pause.
Then—
He smiled.
"…Worth it."
"Do it."
[A New Category is Implemented in Host'd Status - Power]
[Power 'Infinity' — Synchronizing…]
And in that moment—
Everything—
Stopped.
The air.
The world.
The unseen.
As if—
Something far beyond was watching.