ILLIMITABLE UNTIL DEATH

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As the girl steadily approached, Fang Li found himself inexplicably unsettled.

What's going on…?

"…Why do you feel different from before?"

This wasn't just his imagination.

The Ryougi Shiki walking toward him now gave off a completely different aura.

Previously, Shiki had been cold, sharply defined like a blade unsheathed. Her very presence seemed to emanate killing intent, a deadly edge barely restrained. She felt dangerous, like a force that could sever life at a glance.

But the current Shiki was… quieter. Her presence remained intense, yet it was no longer overt. It had deepened, become enigmatic and unfathomable.

What changed…?

"Noticed it, did you?"

Shiki didn't sound surprised. Her tone was calm, matter-of-fact, as if she'd been expecting this.

"To be precise, it's not me who's changed. It's you."

Fang Li blinked, caught off guard.

"You don't get it?" she asked, fixing her gaze on him. "I am, after all, the embodiment of all the deaths recorded in your soul's sea."

At those words, realization clicked in Fang Li's mind.

"So… my soul ocean is shifting," he murmured.

And as a manifestation born of that soul-space, Shiki was changing as well.

That answer felt… right.

"You've nearly grasped the essence of Self," Shiki added, pursing her lips slightly. "With that kind of insight, is it really so strange your soul's composition is beginning to change?"

Her words made Fang Li furrow his brows.

He'd suspected it. Not fully, but enough to sense it. Something fundamental within him was evolving, slowly, quietly, but certainly.

Still… intuition wasn't the same as understanding. What he had now was closer to a theory than a truth. He couldn't yet say he'd truly comprehended anything.

And if that theory led his soul down the wrong path… would it result in salvation, or collapse?

Sensing the doubt within him, Shiki spoke again.

"No need to rush. You still have time. Whether the answer inside you is right or wrong, you'll have your chance to find out."

Her tone was so casual, so offhanded, it might've sounded harmless to anyone listening.

But that wasn't the case at all.

Because if Fang Li's understanding of "Self" was fundamentally flawed, his soul would begin to unravel, slowly, irreversibly, until only destruction remained.

A lesser person would have started panicking at that point.

But Fang Li only hesitated for a breath… then released it with quiet resolve.

Not because he was fearless. Not because he didn't care about death.

But because he knew that spiraling into doubt now would change nothing.

The answer had already taken root inside him. Whether it would bloom or rot, he could only walk the path and see for himself.

"…So what now?"

He looked at Shiki.

"I've done what I needed to. I even took a break, like you suggested. So what should I do next?"

That had been his purpose in coming here.

He already had the answer, or perhaps a glimpse of it, but he didn't yet know whether it was correct. Time will be the judge.

And rest? He'd had that too.

"Don't tell me I'm supposed to keep resting." Fang Li said dryly. "If I drag this out any longer, the Main God's Dimension will probably erase me before my soul collapses."

After all, his Exchange Points weren't infinite.

In the Main God's Dimension, Exchange Points were everything.

With enough Exchange Points, one could live as they pleased, rest when they wanted, indulge in luxury, or even pause time to enjoy fleeting peace. For the rich, life in the Main God's Dimension surpassed even the most idealized heavens.

But without Exchange Points… it was hell.

Such was the nature of the Main God's Dimension.

And due to its unique laws, typically only one individual from each Planar World could be summoned into the Dimension. The corresponding Dungeon Worlds, constructed from that same Plane's fabric, could only be accessed by the Divine Envoy of that origin. Unless special circumstances arose, Divine Envoys rarely joined forces.

Fang Li, for instance, had never been fond of forming alliances.

Rather than wasting time watching his back or navigating webs of deceit, he preferred to operate alone. He would instead spend Exchange Points to adjust the Participant Count in Dungeon Quests, avoiding needless risks from potential betrayal.

But solo or not, survival required one thing: constantly earning Exchange Points.

A short break was acceptable.

But resting indefinitely?

That was suicide by stagnation.

Even if Fang Li held little fear of death, he refused to perish in such a pointless, humiliating way.

In response to Fang Li's musing, Ryougi Shiki spoke with her usual detached calm.

"Then just keep taking on Dungeon Quests. Isn't that enough?"

Her indifferent tone made Fang Li pause.

"You've already found your answer," she continued. "Whether it leads to life or death… that'll be clear when the time comes."

She turned slightly, her gaze falling briefly on him.

"Until then, do as you please. I've done all I can. You don't need to move according to my will."

And with that, Ryougi Shiki turned fully around, her figure fading slowly into the distance.

Watching her walk away, Fang Li felt an inexplicable unease.

It might've been the last time he would ever see her.

An illusion, perhaps. Or maybe a premonition. He couldn't be sure.

Still, he didn't allow himself to feel sorrow.

After all, Ryougi Shiki was merely the manifestation of his Sea of Death.

That is to say, the vast soul-ocean beneath his feet… was her true form.

Even if the physical image of "Ryougi Shiki" vanished, the essence of her existence wouldn't disappear.

Unless, of course, the answer in Fang Li's heart was wrong, and he ultimately faced annihilation.

In that case, they'd both vanish together.

"…Do whatever I want, huh?"

Fang Li repeated the words under his breath, a faint smirk curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Sounds about right. That's just my style."

Night had fallen quietly.

And beneath its cover, a lone figure appeared beyond the perimeter of Queenvail Academy.

"…If I remember right, the concert tour's over. That girl should be back by now."

Staring at the familiar silhouette of the academy under moonlight, Fang Li let out a small smile. His form shimmered briefly, then slipped effortlessly through the barriers and onto the campus grounds.

There was no hesitation in his movements. Clearly, this wasn't his first offense.

He had snuck into the forbidden sanctuary of men's fantasies, also known as the girls' dormitory, far too many times to count.

Like a shadow moving through silence, Fang Li crept toward the dorms, cloaked in the darkness of night.

(End of Chapter)