Game's Extra: Starting With SSS-Ranked 1000-Death Talent-Chapter 78: Doom And Cosmos

Hovering system panels captured Noa’s entire view.

[ You reached the requirements to evolve further than your current status ]

[ Doom God’s Mark detected ]

[ A Will of the Many detected ]

[ You’re holding an artefact from a forgotten era—one that pushes you beyond human limits ]

[ Condition for unlocking your potential is adjusted ]

"What is it?" Noa complained, waiting for the system to explain. "Stop edging me!"

Five long seconds later, a new message emerged.

[ Calculation for the suitable condition completed ]

[ You need to die ]

"What?"

[ Thousand times ]

"Is this some kind of joke?" Noa said loudly.

Usually, conditions for becoming a Returne were fairly easy, demanding something like slaying a specific monster or collecting a special herb.

But the difficulty increased with grade.

Progressing through ranks became increasingly harder, resulting in countless failures and dead Embers.

’And I have to die and lose my echoes first?’ he concluded. ’But why?’

Nothing like this happened in the game.

Arthur didn’t have to suffer that much, and before Noa found a moment to do something, his vision darkened.

Light escaped his eyes.

But it was only the beginning of his transformation.

Every single light particle left his being, transforming Noa into something unexplainably dark and unsightly.

No shadow was cast by him.

He himself became a shadow itself, striped with emotions, senses, and everything that made him.

[ You died ]

Here it was.

As with all journeys, the first step was always easy.

[ You died ]

The next one was even harder, but it was still nothing but a beginning.

[ You died ]

[ You died ]

[ You died ]

Seconds ticked by as even time struggled to pass, each step paining it greatly.

However, amidst the storming death sentences, Noa knew nothing and felt nothing, his mind too far away from the current world.

But the death didn’t care.

It hunted him and would continue to do so.

The same way Noa was hunting monkeys only moments ago.

[ You died ]

Nor could he hear or see the system’s constant reminder, as his echo counter continued to go lower and lower.

Sometimes along the way, Noa had a dream.

"Hope is a means of surviving, and doom is the blade that cuts it down," sang the God of the cosmos. "You are the ruin and a cause of distraction. The Abyss wants to devour, but you need destruction to remain. How are you any different, and why should I take your side?"

Dimmed by the might of the cosmos, the Goddess of Doom howled, each sound from her misty lips causing the constellations to shudder.

"Hope is fragile and fleeting. The things you call ruin, I see as a rebirth. My touch is not destruction, but rather, it reveals the truth you prefer to remain blind to. And for every flame the Abyss ignites, I am the one who greets its ashes."

Suddenly, Noa’s eyes burst open.

His senses flowed back like a dry river after a rainy night.

"Nyx?" he said, remembering the dream he had been watching from the third-person perspective.

The Doom God was speaking with someone or something, their conversation etched deep into his soul.

’It’s about Primordial Abyssal? Did she ask for help?’

There was still a lot he didn’t understand about the world, yet slowly but surely, he was getting there.

[ Echo: 0/1,000 ]

The system showed him the notification, as if reminding him of good news.

Dying a thousand times wasn’t easy, but somehow he felt almost nothing.

However, death stayed with him, not leaving his side, as its deadly touch was still felt by him.

[ First Condition to evolve completed ]

"Wait, wait. This was only the first one? What more do I need to do?" Noa called out, gritting his teeth.

[ The last requirement adjusted ]

[ You need to reach level 30 ]

"Fuck!" he exclaimed.

After losing his echoes, Noa lost his half-immortality.

It would last until he becomes a Returne and triggers his talent once again.

But before that, he had to kill monsters without dying.

If he somehow fucked it up, it would be game over—a tough condition for someone who had grown accustomed to the idea that death wasn’t the end.

At least, his level wasn’t lost.

Dying over and over didn’t strip Noa of the EXP he had accumulated since the last battle.

Somehow, his starting line was level 20, and he had to be careful.

’I am still a monkey?’ Noa realized upon seeing his tail wiggling around his face.

His mana reserve was full, the skill ready for action.

Instead of shifting his mind back to his body, Noa decided to use AOE damage to his advantage and farm as many monsters as he could.

Starting with Frostbite, he sent freezing mist to envelop the monkeys.

The stacks quickly built up.

It helped with the damage and the explosive mark.

Soon, Noa willed the skill to go off and tremble space itself.

The shockwaves stumbled survivor monkeys and even some of his teammates.

As for the marked beasts, they couldn’t even scream—the death swiftly reaped their tears.

[ You killed Evolved Drymonkey Lv. 19 (x25) ]

[ You killed Evolved Drymonkey Lv. 18 (x19) ] 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

[ You’ve gained 30,000 Experience Points ]

[ Level Up! ]

[ You’ve gained 1 Attribute Point ]

But it wasn’t the end.

Reaching level 30 demanded more experience points than ever, making his job harder with each kill.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t stop—murder consumed his being.

So, carefully but ruthlessly, Noa fought like a long-range wizard for once.

Though he was a monkey.

Unlike earlier, his squad was done with their task, helping him annihilate the monsters before them.

They seemed to be in great shape, except for the tiredness affecting their condition.

’I hope they didn’t see me,’ Noa wished.

Still, he wanted to abuse Corpse Puppet as much as he could.

Now that he could increase his overall damage, Noa didn’t want to lose this amazing opportunity this soon.

As the number decreased and gave him room to shift his mind back, Noa received a message.

This time, it was his phone as Dusk’s name lit up the screen.