On an ind so far away from civilization, the bodies of countless monsters were stacked in a desert. Niki sat on top of the corpses as he kept absorbing their stats while eating meat bread.


    After consuming a lot of his mana, Niki found that his appetite returned. Of course, there is also the possibility that he lost his appetite because of leaving Sergio, but he didn''t know. He was just d that there was still a human part of him.


    "Well, to eat on top of corpses is a weird definition of being human," Nikiughed to himself. "However, humans are nothing but cruel."


    As he debated which direction to take next, Niki heard a sound from within the giant worm beneath him. It was a grumbling sound, and he realized that the gases were trying to leave the corpse.


    "Okay, time to leave," Niki stood up as he didn''t want to stay here as the corpse dposes. His stats have seen quite the increase since he fell into this ind, and they now looked like this:


    [Vitality: 62]


    -     [Blood Energy: 15.]


    [Strength: 65]


    [Agility: 59]


    [Intelligence: 53]


    [Mana: 70]


    [Rank F]


    [Fae Talent: A Wise Choice.]


    [Dark Talent: Dark Echo.]


    [Skill: N/A]


    The staggering of his intelligence bothered him because very few monsters dropped these crystals on the ind, but Niki, this was a habit from the past. After all, he wasn''t only a gunman now but a multi-weapon user.


    Overall, his stats increased nicely, but it came at the cost of his Fate Points which has dwindled into a miser 14. His Fate Points never seem to be enough, no matter what he does.


    He thought his act of letting go of Sergio would grant him a few Fate Points, but it did not. The event of Sergio and himing to this ind didn''t happen in the past, so it wasn''t any impactful or ''fate stealing.''


    As he walked away from the corpses, Niki fell into a sense of urgency. He needed to obtain more points before the world changes beyond what he knew. But, of course, that was far in the future, as some things like the war were destined to happen.


    As he resumed his search of the skill, a giant monster rushed toward him from within a dune. However, Niki was quite prepared, and he used his stealth and dodged.


    It was a Sand Foxman, a monster that was a realm above Niki''s rank. This monster was of the E-rank, and it wasn''t something that the previous Niki could handle.


    Niki walked around the fox as he took out his weapons. As he left his stealth, his petals followed his weapon as it struck the monster. The Foxman grabbed his weapon with its w as its bared its teeth. However, when they touched the sand, the petals exploded with darkness, and the monster''s arm scattered into the wind.


    "Awooo!"


    The monster howled as it rushed forward, duplicating in the process. Niki noticed that its duplicates were also missing an arm, which amused him greatly.


    As he slipped back into the shadows, Niki waited for the monster to expand its mana using the skill before he struck again, taking out another limb.


    The method was a bit underhanded, but it was the most effective. After repeating the process and taking out one limb after the other, the Foxman died.


    "Hm?" Niki didn''t think that it would drop something because he didn''t use any Fate Points. However, what it dropped wasn''t a Stats or Skill Crystal, but a piece of glowing talisman.


    Niki could feel a powering from within the piece of paper. After he grabbed it, the light of the enchantment written on it glowed.


    "There missing words," Niki realized as he saw that the enchantment was cut off as if someone ripped the talisman to pieces. "But what do you do?"


    Despite asking it, Niki knew that it had something to do with the skill. So he kept the paper away as he looked around the desert for any other monsters.


    Everything here existed because of the skill ''Absolute Shield,'' and it made sense that this talisman piece would somehow lead Niki to it. However, a single Foxman was at the E-rank, so what about the others?


    "Power chooses us, and not the other way around."


    This is amon phrase between Defiers, as it signified that only those worthy of power could obtain it. Thus, the skill would not be a crystal waiting to be picked up, but a power that you need to pass obstacles to get.


    Most attributed this fact to the world being fair. However, Niki didn''t understand how that was fair, as only the powerful can grow more powerful.


    "There is also luck," Niki muttered as he traversed the desert, looking for his next kill. "That was the absolute fairness of the world. Everyone has an equal chance of obtaining stats, of obtaining skills, of obtaining power. The more you try, the more you can receive. However, there''s an exception to that rule."


    As he was keeping himselfpany by mulling over such idealistic thoughts, Niki found another bizarre thing in the middle of the desert.


    The ck desert was indeed an expanse of wastnd. However, there was a pir of light that was a few meters tall, hiding between a few dunes.


    "What is that?" Niki wondered to himself as he walked forward. "Can it be a trap?"


    Even if it was, Niki had to go forward and see what it is. It was better than staying in this abyss forever, after all. At the moment, any change was a good one.


    As Niki got close to the pir of light, the light escaped from it and touched his body. Then, the light washed over his body without harming it, scanning Niki''s body in the process.


    "Ah, an assessment of strength," Niki was surprised. "I guess that''s how the man obtained the skill despite being weak."


    After the light finished scanning his body, the pir of light shone brighter, and it shot out a beam toward the sky. The darkness was dispelled for a fraction of a second before a ripple spread over the ind.


    Then, the light died down anticlimactically. Niki looked around and found that nothing changed about him. However, there was something about the ind.


    It felt less dangerous, but there was a nauseous feeling about it. Then, as he thought that things might turn for the worse, it did. A shard split from the pir in front of him before morphing into a child.


    The child of light stood there harmlessly, and it stared at Niki innocently. However, if there were one creature that Niki feared, it would be children. Something was terrifying about a child appearing in the middle of the desert.


    "What are you?" Niki took out his weapon as he looked around, waiting for the child to reveal its true colors. Instead, however, there was a sense of familiarity as Niki looked at the child.


    "I am..." the child looked around nkly before staring back at Niki. "I am you."


    "Okay, that''s enough for me to kill you." Niki was creeped out as it is, and he didn''t want to apany a monster disguised as a child.


    "You think that I''m a monster, but what if I''m not?" the child spoke to him coldly.


    As he said those words, Niki paused. He was about to attack because he was convinced that this creature was a monster, but what if it was someone trapped within the pir?


    ''If he is indeed a child and I killed him...'' Niki lowered his weapon. ''Not even I can do that,'' he shook his head. There were limits to how ruthless can be before they turn into a mindless killing machine.


    "I''m d that my future self has some heart left," the child said with a smile that uneased him. "Furthermore, if you kill me, you won''t obtain the skill."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "I was created by the skill to test you, and you need to protect me as you collect the talisman. I may be a manifestation of your mind, but that doesn''t make me any less real than you are."


    "Wait, you said ''future self'' earlier. Does that mean that you are me as a kid?" Niki frowned as he stared at the child''s features. As he came to that conclusion, he began to recognize that dark and cold face.


    "I told you; I am you," the child repeated, and Niki could now tell that this was indeed how he looked like as a child. Of course, it was a vague memory after two decades, but this was indeed how he looked like as a kid.


    "And if I can protect you until I gather all the talismans?"


    "Then you will obtain the skill of protection, Absolute Shield," his younger version smiled as he walked toward Niki. "I can see that you are no longer human, so I will look like this when I''m older?"


    "I never knew I was this annoying," Niki sighed.