Chapter 777: PAID

Childhood Friend of the ZenithWords: 1926

A pitch-black background came into view.

No matter how hard I tried to see, there was nothing visible. Only the heavy, charred darkness filled the space.

What is this?

Why am I suddenly surrounded by this bizarre scene?

Just as the absurdity of the situation started sinking in—

‘Ah….’

I finally realized what was happening.

So that’s what it is—I had my eyes closed.

‘…When did I close them?’

I was sure I had been touching the mana stone just moments ago.

How did I end up like this?

Something felt off.

“…Hmm?”

I immediately tried to lift my eyelids, but strangely, they wouldn’t move easily.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t move them at all, so I forced them open with sheer willpower.

“Ugh.”

At last, the familiar ceiling came into view.

It was the ceiling of the storage room I had entered earlier.

Which meant…I had been lying down.

‘What exactly happened?’

I couldn’t remember what led to this.

The last thing I recalled was using the Demonic Heaven Absorption Technique on the mana stone.

“That’s right…”

I was certain the technique had activated properly. The mana stone had poured out its energy—

And that’s where my memory cut off.

“...”

What really happened?

I tried to sit up and check my surroundings.

At that moment—

Wooong—!

“…!”

As soon as my hand pressed against the floor, vibrations erupted from my body.

The source—my heart.

A sudden pulse of energy swept through me, spreading to every corner of my body.

“…Ugh…”

I swallowed the pain that washed over me.

What the hell was this?

The energy surged through my meridians, racing like wildfire.

I tried to regain control, but—n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Damn it….’

It wouldn’t listen.

The energy spiraled out of control, rampaging in every direction.

Wild and intense.

If not for my strengthened body, I wouldn’t have just failed to endure—I would’ve exploded on the spot.