1787 Land of Nothingness [3]


    Damien didn''t have to look far to see how different the second ind was from the first. Rather than small wooden cabins, the buildings here were made of stone and concrete. There were several castles across thend that were built by the many people who hade to this ce over the years.


    There were established roads, and Damien couldn''t see the end of the ind with his eyes. It was clearly much, muchrger than its predecessor.


    There was also a considerable difference in the aura of this ce. It was definitely filled with the same energy as the first ind, but it was also filled with the aura of life. Already, the poption had ballooned inparison. There had to be several thousand people living on the ind at the very least.


    It was a little bit soul-crushing to realize this kind of scale. All of these people also reached Existence?


    All of them were also aiming to reach Nonexistence?


    This was supposed to be a sacred seat that not just anyone could sit on, but looking at the crowds of people Damien could see walking the roads despite just arriving, he couldn''t really think of it the same way.


    Was it really that easy to reach the ce he had to struggle so hard to climb to?


    ''No.''


    It wasn''t easy. Not in the slightest. Damien''s struggle could actually be considered nothingpared to what someone without his inborn talents would have to go through to reach the same height.


    Merely, the Land of Nothingness was a realm without time. People did not age, and people did not die.


    Everyone here had been here for a very long time. ording to Harold, it had been millions of years since they saw theirst neer.


    Which meant that these people were millions, billions, or perhaps even trillions of years old.


    They came from different points in time that would never align as the cosmos they came from would never interact with each other.


    If the True Void Universe was rtively young, then some of these people could potentially be older than its birth. And it didn''t stop there.


    Some of these people, in a sense, came from the future. They came from a time that Damien hadn''t experienced yet and then spent millions of years in this ce. The entire timeline was inconsequential, as anyone and everyone who tried to wield the two energies of Existence and Nonexistence together would be brought to thisnd.


    It wasn''t that Damien''s path was easy. Damien''s path wasn''tmon either.


    None of these people ever thought of reaching the Void. They only thought of controlling the two forces most powerful under it.


    After all, anyone who experienced the Void would understand that it was too unfathomable for anyone to control. All existing concepts and all nonexistent concepts became null yet were at the same time fully supported. The pure juxtaposition and dichotomy presented by an all-epassing entity like the Void simply could not be grasped by the human mind.


    ''I need to stop doubting myself. I know it''s only happening because I''vee so far, but seriously, it''s getting old.''


    Regardless of the justification, doubt was not something Damien would allow into his life.


    Not at this stage, not in the future.


    He took a few more steps onto the second ind. It wasn''t as hilly as the first ind, but thendscape was simr. There weren''t too many trees, but the ones that existed came in all shapes and sizes, none that Damien recognized.


    ''I shouldn''t bank on finding another guide like Harold. That''s a newbie exclusive experience.''


    The second ind was definitely going to be morepetitive than the first. The first ind''s small poption forced it to be calm. This ce had arge poption, all of whom were inpetition.


    People like the five hooligans from before would show up everywhere. However, Damien would have to deal with them himself if a new group ever appeared.


    ''Haa, it''s a little annoying, but…''


    It was a good time to experiment a little.


    ''How am I supposed to find somewhere to experiment around here?''


    He didn''t know what kind of currency they used, if any. He didn''t want to be in a ce with too many people in case his movements attracted attention from unsavory characters.


    Unfortunately, this was not a mountainous region, and Damien highly doubted that there was any sort of underground ecosystem. ''I guess I can figure something out.''


    Not having ess to any sort of mana was extremely inconvenient. However, even this was a good chance for Damien to practice.


    ''This must be why they built those castles and stuff. Using their power on this realm to influence it is extremely beneficial to their training.''


    Damien went over the crest of the hill he was on and into the small valley between it and the elevatednd where the closest road was. Putting his hand against the geological structure, he attempted to use Nonexistence to his advantage. ''Barriers do not exist.''


    Anything that barred him from his goal was banished into Nonexistence.


    Suddenly, arge hole roughly ten feet tall and nearly as wide opened in the hill. The hill itself also changed as it was forced to amodate Damien''s "creation."


    ''So that works.'' Damien thought with a smile.


    ''Then, can I be bolder with it?'' N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He willed it with his body, forcing those things that blocked him into Nonexistence. In some sort of twisted way, he was able to use elements of creation with the new energy.


    A shoddy cave abode was the result of his efforts. It wasrge enough to fit him and didn''t alert people to his presence. He couldn''t necessarily conceal himself from other Nonexistence users, but it was enough if he just moved covertly and kept his energy quiet.


    He gathered an invisible aura around him. It did not have a particr quality or quantity. It could not be felt or seen. It was merely there.


    As it formed a barrier around him, a territory that it could influence, he enacted thews of Nonexistence.


    ''Ignorance…does not exist in my mind.''


    It was something he firmly believed. He always knew exactly what was happening in the world as long as he wanted to know. Ignorance was a concept that was not allowed to affect him anymore, and he used that belief to power his energy.


    The goal of this move was obvious.


    Damien wanted to stretch the limits of conceptual energy maniption, and he wanted to see just how much he could twist things in his favor.


    Ignorance. The concept that could be equated simply to the ck of knowledge."


    When it was removed from the territory entirely…


    Well, the realm itself was forced to give Damien any and all information he desired.


    Nonexistence was not a power with levels or progression. In the first ce, those concepts could not dictate such an esoteric force.


    Nonexistence, once attained, would mold to its users and allow anything they could possibly imagine.


    As such, the limit to one''s power with the concept stood only with the limit of one''s creativity.


    Damien…was never such a creative person.


    But when he was put in contact with such a nonsensically broken form of energy, everything changed.


    His mind was burning with ideas, and his body was burning to test them.


    First, however, he needed to focus on the "condition" of the second ind.