The dagger shed the air apart as it reached the scarlet hair of the princess, cutting right through it. However, it was blocked by red energy as it was an inch from her neck.


    "What are you doing?" she growled, and the fear grewrger. This time, however, Niki felt something having his back, so he pushed the fear aside.


    "What I should have done since the beginning, psychopathic bitch," Niki grinned as he tried pushing his dagger to stab her neck, but it was no use. This was one of the princess''s powers, and it made her unparallel in a close-range battle.


    As he defied her once again, Niki''s body began regenerating. His fallen flesh was being restored as a warm feeling spread on his back.


    "It seems you have grown a backbone, Niki," the princess red at him before turning to look behind him. "Is that who changed you to defy me?"


    "Shut up and die," Niki aimed his gun at her in an instant and fired, but the bullet couldn''t pierce through the elf''s defenses.


    "If that''s why you aren''t obedient, then I''ll make sure that I kill him," the princess gave a grin as her eyes held infinite killing intent. "The illusion is broken, but don''t think that you overcame my shadow."


    After she said that nonsense, the princess dissolved into nothingness, and Niki retracted his guns as the room began dissolving as well. He turned toward the person behind him, who held a smile now.


    "Are you alive?"


    "I am nothing but a figment of your imagination, as you have even reced my voice with yours," Shon replied in Niki''s voice. "It wasn''t me, but you who saved yourself. I am merely the person you wish to be saved by,"


    "Ah, yes. You are certainly me if you are this annoying," Niki sighed before he smiled. "And I''m guessing you are also the skill manifestation?"


    "Correct," Shon dissolved into a younger Niki, who grinned. "How did you like my gift?"


    "To relive a trauma?"


    "No!" Niko threw his hands up. "My reward is the chance to ovee your fear. How do you feel knowing that you stood up to the person who hurt you the most?"


    "I feel nothing."


    "Psychopath," Niko sighed before giving a grin. "Or a liar?"


    Niki didn''t say anything as he closed his eyes. Then, for some reason, it began to rain in this dark. As the droplets fell on his face, he felt at peace for the first time since he returned to the past.


    Ever since he became a follower of Lilith, a seed of rage sprouted in his heart. The more he lived in this world, the more his anger grew. He felt angry toward everything and everyone, and nothing seemed to lessen it.


    But now, despite not disappearing or growing milder, his rage took a colder form. If it was a burning fire before, it was now an ice shard that wanted to tear the world apart.


    "Cold and infinite rage," Niko sighed helplessly. "It seems you have a long way to go, but this is a good start. At least, you won''t burn yourself in the process."


    "Shut up and give me my skill," Niki opened his eyes with a smile. "If you give me another one of your rewards of tests, then I''m going to dedicate my life to destroying this skill."


    "Now, now," Niko took a step back with a twitching expression. "There are no more tests nor my handsome rewards. You''ve earned the right to use this skill. Therefore, how about you treat me a little better than this?"


    "I''d rather not," Niki walked toward Niko and grabbed toward the kid. In response, Niko''s body disappeared like smoke to reveal a single golden and transparent crystal with engravings on it.


    "Let''s break this world, Niki," a voice came from within the crystal before Niki tightened his grasp, breaking it. A stream of energy entered his body as Niki closed his eyes to feel a power taking root within his soul.


    [You have acquired a Legendary Skill, Absolute Shield.]


    [Absolute Shield: a legendary skill that prevents anything from harming the user, including physical attacks, elemental mana, or skills without hindering the user''s attacks. The skill can be charged using valuable items such as gold, elemental gems, mana crystals, or ores. The amount of acquired charge depends on the item.]


    [Absolute Charge: 10000.]


    The skill was quite simple, as all great things are. Niki could use valuable items to charge the shield, which would protect him against everything as long as he had enough Absolute Charge.


    At the moment, he had ten thousand damage, and that meant that if one hundred people with a strength stat of 100 attacked him, Niki''s shield wouldn''t break.


    The absurdity of this skilly in the fact that there was no limit to how much you could charge it. So, if a monster struck Niki with a million in its strength stat, he would survive as long as he prepared enough.


    "Absolute Cheat should be its name," Niki grinned excitedly. "However, it is indeed a gluttonous treasure that would turn a rich man penniless."


    Niki wasn''t worried about that, though. When dungeons start appearing in the world, he would be the first to clear them and obtain the treasures within them. Then, as long as he had enough resources, he would be invincible.


    "Of course, I shouldn''t forget my luck," Niki smiled as he thought of ways to start gathering money. Gambling, enchantments, and mining were one of the few things that could help him.


    However, all of this remained as ns only, as he had a few things to consider from now on. But, first, Niki needs to prepare for Val''s trial before it arrives, which would be in a couple of months.


    As long as he gets enough money before then, Niki would be safe against even Val himself. An image of an immortal necromancer appeared in his mind, and Niki almost lost himself to his excitement.


    The space began to twist before crumbling down. After it did, Niki began to freefall back toward the ind. He didn''t try to use his darkness this time but threw open his hand to raise a golden shield around him.


    Nikinded on the ground without any damage being transferred to his body. There was a giant crater beneath him, but the shield negated all force that would harm him.


    [Absolute Charge: 9982.]


    "Eighteen points already?" Niki sighed, but he knew he was not an omnipotent god just yet. At that moment, a monster appeared from within the sand, and Niki realized it was another Foxman.


    The monster roared and rushed forward to attack him, and Niki didn''t move. He wanted to test the skill he so desperately wanted, and the ws struck the barrier around him.


    [-90 damages!]


    The system reported to him, and Niki took out his de to strike. His attacks passed through the barrier, which kept a distance around him without hindering Niki. The des hit the monster, which screamed and attacked again.


    [-37 damages!]


    Niki''s shield held firm as he took a step back, making the monster''s attack lose a bit of its momentum. The process repeated itself, and the Foxman fell without being able to touch Niki.


    A crystal appeared from within the Foxman, and it was an F-rank crystal with white color. As Niki absorbed the mana stat, he wondered how strong he would grow into with this bugged skill.


    "However," Niki looked at the damage his shield could withstand, "I need to start making money. Lots of, lots of money."


    ***


    The pir of light was finally within his sight, and Niki almost excitedly shouted as he ran toward it. There was a simple fact about this ind: it was full of monsters.


    Even with his shield skill, Niki would be dead if he came across the A-rank monster that the skill mentioned. That''s why he looked for the ce that would reward him with another reward: the ind''s core.


    Flying inds were masses with a meteor piece embedded within, and there was a way to control it. However, the amount of mana needed to control such an ore was almost ten times what Niki could currently use, so he opted for the next thing: hiding the ind.


    As long as he was the only one who knew of its location, Niki wasn''t afraid about people finding it. That''s why he would wait until he was strong enough beforeing back to this undiscovered ind and seizing control of it.


    Of course, Niki knew that the reason inds were coveted by the powerful only was the countless monsters that would be on them. That''s why unless he can kill an A-rank monster, he couldn''t use this ind as a hideout.


    The pir of light connected to the ind''s core, and it was also connected to the skill before. When he touched it, he was about to move the ind toward its next hiding spot. After that, Niki would have to find a way back to Rohan.