The power of the Chaos and the High Ones always struck without warning. Even when they revealed a docile, harmless façade in their strange balance, the moment Maria showed the slightest weakness, their temptation and corrosion would cling to her like a shadow—chuckling as they tried to drag the black-robed nun into their eager embrace.

They favored Maria so much that they became almost desperate in their approach.

So desperate that she could easily sense something was wrong.

After the funeral for her mother, Ruth, Maria had locked herself in her room. She needed a relatively quiet environment to adjust her unstable mental state. This process required as little disturbance as possible, so she set aside all matters in Seth Town, whether big or small.

Even if the wheels of fate came rolling her way!

Maria was going to rest. She had no intention of waking up one day to find herself transformed into nothing but a killing machine—or worse, some warped, unrecognizable creature obsessed with endless knowledge.

The Outsider. Her father, Lynn. Felia…

Maria chose to ignore them all for now, pouring her focus into a mental technique from her previous life’s anti-Abyss research: Meditation 2.0. This special method, which demanded considerable willpower, had originally belonged to the Weavebinders, but versatile players had developed it into an effective form of mental control.

Humans were extremely vulnerable to corruption by the Chaos or the High Ones.

But with special training, one could greatly enhance resistance in this regard. Otherwise, in their frail, primitive state, humans couldn’t possibly venture into Abyss-fallen zones or the Dreamlands of the Old Gods for battle. The enemy wouldn’t even have to strike—you would lose yourself before that.

In truth, Maria had deeper worries.

She dared not allow herself to be tainted by the Abyss. In version 3.0, Maria of the Astral Clocktower

, one of the hidden bosses, had enough strength to keep players stuck for a long time. She wouldn’t have earned the title of Most Unfair Boss of 3.0 otherwise.

If she lost control and gained Abyssal power on top of that, Maria suspected the players might as well uninstall.

A human fully corrupted by the Abyss was nothing less than a walking time bomb. By indulging in its embrace, they became coordinates for the Abyss’ invasion. And even without the Abyssal Demon Army arriving, the mere creatures of the warp could slaughter the world’s inhabitants.

If such a person suddenly ruptured into an Abyssal rift one day, the “joke” would be catastrophic.

So for the sake of the world, and for her own neck, Maria had to stabilize her turbulent mind quickly.

Monotonous, dull, and still—like a deep, ancient well.

The crushing grief from her mother’s death was dulled within this detached, hyper-rational state. Maria felt as though she’d returned to her fearless gamer’s mindset from her previous life, when she had roamed the game world. Her mind became a polished diamond, shining bright and casting out all chaotic impurities.

“To be fearless through ignorance is mere fool’s courage.”

“To be fearless with knowledge is divine courage.”

To move from fool’s courage to divine courage in a world with both Chaos and High Ones was no small feat. Yet Maria’s mind stepped ahead of the rest with uncanny foresight. She knew she had no heaven-bestowed talent nor the bearing of someone destined for grand missions.

Still—as a human, one must bear the burdens and enjoy the blessings.

The more one learned the truth of the world, the deeper the fear grew. Beyond the world, not even the gods could shelter humanity. The only protection lay in their own hands, and in the hands of their kin. One could not deny that the lists of the fallen—long enough to fill a town—were names of those who had changed the Fractured future with their own hands.

Lacking courage?

Then borrow it—from the memories of those who had already gone to their deaths with open eyes. Surely, they would look upon the next to fall with respect. Wouldn’t that thought kindle a little courage?

Countless scenes flickered through Maria’s mind—moments from her previous life, in the New World and the Old World, when NPCs or players had stepped forward in the face of crises or even certain death. Without realizing it, she had become one of those people atop the Wall of No Return.

When the unstoppable crimson demon army came crashing in, Sorin Fortress echoed with a broadcast.

NPCs and players alike, already set on retreat, heard the cold, mechanical voice:

“Calculations complete. You cannot win this defense. But north of the Wall of No Return has already fallen to the Abyss. You are the only force capable of stopping the Khorne Demon Army. To buy time for defensive repositioning, to ensure they do not cross south of the Wall, all of you must give your lives for the strategic whole.”

“Every second you resist, you drain their resources and weaken their strength. If you retreat, the only force standing against them will collapse, and your lives will be wasted in meaningless slaughter. Spend them here to buy more!”

“You will be annihilated to the last. But in the name of humanity, I promise—your actions will hasten the day we reclaim the Abyss-fallen zones. Die here so that day may come sooner.”

Both the Ashes Protocol and the Knights of Winter, already prepared to abandon Sorin Fortress, chose instead to stand and fight to the last.

They held the Khorne Demon Army for six hours.

A glorious death.

Blossoming glory, blood of the fallen!

The roar she had bellowed in life before her final death now merged with the war cry in her mind. The once-restless power of the Chaos and the High Ones seemed to feel the determination of their blood-bound master, quietly obeying and returning to order.

Before evil, the weaker you show yourself, the stronger it becomes. But if you do not fear its strength, then its strength cannot crush you.

Maria’s spirit ascended.

Her already impressive Will and Perception rose by five and seven points respectively. Thirty points of Will—the exact minimum needed to resist Abyssal intrusion. The black-robed nun’s surge of willpower drew the gaze of two special presences in Seth Town, both turning toward the church.

That fierce wave of will was unmasked, radiating without restraint.

Like a blazing lantern in the deep night.

And on Maria’s stat panel, under the “Talents” column, the once-clear God-Chosen title blurred once more into a string of question marks.

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