Chapter 338: Pulled

There was a… star inside the crack in space.

It was tiny, barely larger than Alex’s fist, yet the heat radiating from it was considerable. Its surface glowed with a strange light, and the longer Alex observed it, the more it reminded him of a miniature star. However, after considering its appearance for a moment, he realized that it couldn’t possibly be an actual star.

’I want it,’ Alex thought, before suddenly blinking in confusion.

He felt a strange sense of disconnection from his own thoughts. Had he really just thought that? The desire had appeared so suddenly that he couldn’t remember why he wanted the object so badly.

’Well, I am here for the fruit, so there’s nothing strange about wanting it,’ Alex reasoned.

He created a Mana Shuriken behind himself and slowly began flying toward the crack. However, as he ascended, the desire growing inside him became increasingly difficult to ignore. He wanted whatever was floating inside that opening, and with every passing second, that desire seemed to grow stronger.

He wanted it. He needed it.

Something about the situation bothered Alex, although he couldn’t quite identify what it was. He knew the Star Plum Arasia fruit was supposed to appear near the mountain’s summit, but why was he so certain that the glowing object inside the crack was the fruit?

’Who cares if it’s something else? I can take it first and figure everything out afterward,’ Alex thought, dismissing his concerns.

By the time he reached the crack, his heart was beating rapidly, and sweat was running down his forehead. His pupils had dilated, and somewhere in the back of his mind, his instincts were desperately trying to warn him about something.

Unfortunately, only one thought seemed capable of remaining in his mind.

’I need this fruit.’

Alex extended his hand toward the opening, but just before his fingers entered it, he suddenly stopped. Was it really safe to reach into a crack in space without knowing what lay on the other side?

For a moment, he hesitated. However, another thought quickly followed, reminding him that he didn’t have any other method of collecting the fruit.

’That’s right. I have to take it,’ Alex thought, swallowing nervously.

He felt strangely intoxicated, as though his judgment had become clouded without him realizing it. Nevertheless, he pushed his hand into the crack and wrapped his fingers around the glowing object.

The moment he touched it, an overwhelming force erupted around him.

Alex’s vision disappeared before he could react, and something seized him with such tremendous strength that he couldn’t even attempt to resist. He felt his soul being violently pulled out of his body before it was dragged into the crack, traveling across hundreds of thousands of… something.

He couldn’t tell whether those were distances, dimensions, or entirely different things. Before he could make sense of what was happening, everything suddenly stopped.

Alex blinked and looked around, only to discover that he was floating in the void of space. He instinctively examined his hands, but what he saw immediately confused him.

’Wait… this is my soul. How am I seeing anything when my soul doesn’t even have eyes?’ Alex wondered.

Before he could properly consider the question, something beneath his feet attracted his attention. Alex lowered his gaze, and what he discovered left him completely stunned.

It was the Land of Origin, and somehow, Alex found himself understanding things about its existence that he had never encountered before.

The Land of Origin was made of— D?mains. St@ble D?mains. Ch#os Dom?ins. A Gi@nt C?rpse. N? Sp@ce. Dim#nsions. Fl@t L?nd. C?rpses. W@r of Tr?e ▉▉▉ ?ls. F@lse Or?gin L?nd. C?rse of M@na. Mech@n?cs. Asc?nd to Tr?e Or?gin. ▉▉▉ ?f ▉r?g?n. Th? ▉▉▉▉ ?f ▉▉▉.

“ARRRGHHH!”

An agonized scream escaped Alex as his soul began tearing apart under the weight of what he had just perceived.

It wasn’t simply pain, but something far more fundamental, as though his very existence was being crushed by information it had never been meant to contain. If an ordinary person attempted to bench-press a car, their body would collapse beneath the weight. What Alex had just experienced was similar, except it felt as though his soul had attempted to lift an entire mountain.

He immediately snapped his gaze upward, instinctively understanding that looking down for another moment would destroy him. His breathing was ragged, and his soul felt as though it had been torn into countless pieces.

Alex didn’t even have the mental capacity to question why he was breathing despite possessing no physical body. He simply kept looking upward, terrified of what might happen if he lowered his gaze again.

However, after several moments, he noticed something unusual.

’These stars… are they moving?’ Alex wondered, concentrating on the countless points of light scattered throughout the darkness.

At first, their movements were barely noticeable, but as he continued observing them, he realized they were wriggling, and… staring directly at him.

Alex froze as a chilling sensation spread through his soul. He slowly examined his surroundings, only to discover that almost every star within his perception seemed to be observing him.

He had absolutely no idea how he knew, but he could somehow sense their interest. It was as though countless living beings had suddenly noticed his presence and were now examining him.

His soul began trembling again, although the pressure was different from what he had experienced when looking “below.”

The pressure was weaker, but it was considerably more vicious. If looking “below” had been like staring directly at the sun until his eyes burned, then looking “above” felt as though someone was deliberately directing a powerful laser into his eyes.

The damage was much worse, and Alex could sense that his already damaged soul wouldn’t be able to endure it for long.

He desperately tried to stabilize himself while his mind raced through countless possibilities. Were these stars actually monsters? Had he somehow entered a place where powerful creatures lived, and more importantly, how was he supposed to return?

..

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