Lying on his soft bed, Noctis gradually recalled the Aberrant Wastes of the Void Abyss.

  First, regarding the Void Abyss—it was an endless chaos, where reality was distorted, time was unstable, and all laws could be bent. The eight lands within the Void Abyss each had unique characteristics, filled with bizarre climates, tainted creatures, and ancient ruins.

  Among them, Aberrant Wastes stood out as even more anomalous than the others. From what he knew, this place gathered creatures from all over, making it a chaotic nightmare.

  Climate:

  The weather was utterly unstable, shifting unpredictably from black lightning storms and acid rain to winds carrying the tormented screams of entities that had lost their sanity. There was no fixed day or night—only a distorted glow moving randomly across the sky.

  Dissonance could already be observed in the heavens: a swirling black and purple vortex, with streaks of white light flashing intermittently, resembling thousands of eyes opening and closing. Occasionally, a colossal hand would emerge from the vortex before vanishing again, as if searching for something.

  Ecosystem:

  This was the most chaotic region in the Void Abyss, where hundreds of thousands of tainted creatures coexisted, fought, and hunted one another.

  No rules were absolute—any creature could mutate at any moment, and even rocks and soil could evolve into new life forms. Some creatures could fuse with their surroundings, becoming indistinguishable from the environment, making it impossible to determine where the true enemy lurked.

  The Taint of Aberrant Wastes

  The corruption of this land was so extreme that it transformed beings into tainted monstrosities.

  Scholars had identified only four types of taint, all discovered on the outskirts of Aberrant Wastes. The deeper regions remained unexplored, as no one had ever returned from them. Even the outskirts had claimed the lives of hundreds of elite knights and sorcerers.

  These four types of corruption, while rare, were considered natural calamities due to their unpredictable nature:

  1. Chaotic Breath – An invisible toxic gas that mutates any creature that inhales it, causing them to grow grotesque appendages or develop unnatural senses.

  2. Shifting Mire – Viscous swamps that engulf anything stepping into them, pulling victims into an inescapable alternate reality.

  3. Parasitic Rain – Ash-gray rain filled with microscopic organisms that invade living hosts, turning them into vessels for unknown entities.

  4. Fractured Reality Waves – Random spatial distortions that either shred objects apart or trap them in a state of simultaneous existence and non-existence.

  Among these, only the first and fourth forms of taint posed a threat to Semi-Saints and Saints, while the second and third were lethal only to those below the Saint level.

  Tainted Creatures:

  The true catastrophe of the Aberrant Wastes was its overwhelming population of tainted creatures—immensely powerful and numerous.

  1. Twisted Drifter

  Description: Once human, but their bodies and souls were warped beyond recognition by the corruption. Their forms were never stable, shifting chaotically.

  Threat Level: Medium

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  Dangers: Twisted Drifters could effortlessly kill anyone below Semi-Saint level. Even Semi-Saints and Saints would struggle if outnumbered, as exhaustion from prolonged combat could lead to their downfall.

  2. Blood-Eye Maw

  Description: A massive sphere of flesh covered in countless eyes and mouths. The mouths constantly emit agonized wails, while the eyes can see into the essence of living beings.

  Threat Level: High

  Dangers: The full details remained restricted to those of level 8 or higher, leaving Noctis frustrated. If he had more access, he could better prepare for future encounters.

  3. Aberrant Colossus

  Description: A towering abomination formed from the fusion of hundreds of bodies. It lacked independent thought, driven solely by an instinct to destroy.

  Threat Level: Medium to High

  Dangers: While its immediate threat to Semi-Saints and Saints was low, prolonged exposure risked assimilation. A sufficiently agile combatant, however, could evade this fate.

  4. Bleeding Wraith

  Description: A cursed spirit, eternally bleeding yet never dying. It moved like the wind, appearing unpredictably, though only a few had ever been encountered.

  Threat Level: Very High

  With that, Noctis’s recollection of the Aberrant Wastes came to an end.

  A certain scholar, Hom Maruts, had once evaluated this place:"If you don’t wish to sell your soul to the gods, never set foot here."

  Unfortunately for Noctis, he had already sold his soul to the shadow in the mirror.

  Pressing his fingers against his temples, he sighed in exhaustion. Digging through these memories was no different from reliving the grotesque experiences of the former Noctis.

  As he lay in bed, sleep gradually overtook him.

  But deep inside, Noctis had already made up his mind—no matter the dangers, no matter the risk of death, he would step into the Aberrant Wastes. At least once.

  In the stillness of the dark night, several figures stepped into a narrow alley. It was evident that there were five of them, all dressed in black cloaks, exuding an aura of mystery and danger.

  One of them spoke in an irritated voice, "Hey, why the hell do we have to do this damn job? Why don't they just get the knights or mages to track it down?"

  A calm and cold voice responded, "Shut up. Do you really think that people like us—wild, forsaken criminals—have any choice when the Church commands us? We obey, or we die."

  "Jack is right. This is your chance to redeem yourselves. If you do well, you might even earn a place among the knights or mages," said a large man who suddenly emerged.

  He was massive, and his body radiated a warm, almost comforting heat.

  "Halon, what is our mission?"

  The one called Halon, the tall and imposing man, replied in a serious tone, "Track down any traces of a Calamity or a God."

  "What? Are you joking, Halon? If even you and the Church know about these things, why the hell are we the ones searching for them?" Some of the group members raised their voices in protest, making the alleyway noisier.

  Annoyed, Halon bellowed, "Silence! The Church has its own plans. Our job is only to find traces and report back. The Saints will handle the investigation."

  Hearing this, the group calmed down, though a tense silence remained.

  Jack then asked, "How do we track it?"

  As if waiting for that very question, Halon pulled out a box. It was simple, almost crude, with no engravings or markings—just smooth, featureless wood.

  "This is a Level-4 Contaminated Object, capable of detecting the scent of a Calamity."

  The others stared at the box until suddenly, something inside it shifted, causing them all to flinch.

  "This thing was found on the corpse of a Half-Saint in the Aberrant Wastes. It is known as the Natural Disaster Eye or The Disaster Crow."

  Upon hearing the words Aberrant Wastes, everyone’s expressions darkened. They all knew that anything contaminated in that place was highly dangerous, requiring complete eradication of both body and soul to prevent further corruption.

  "There's no need to worry," Halon reassured them. "The Church has provided me with a way to monitor and contain this sealed artifact, so as long as you follow instructions, you'll be fine."

  He took a deep breath and continued, "Listen carefully. You are about to take on a grave responsibility. When I open this box, you must stare directly at it. If you so much as blink at the wrong moment, it will vanish in an instant. And I have no idea what will happen if it escapes."

  The four men swallowed hard, their throats dry with unease.

  "Understood?" Halon asked sternly.

  "Understood!" they responded in unison.

  "Good. I'll count to three and then open the box. Keep your eyes on it at all times. Do not make a mistake."

  Halon began counting.

  "One… Two… Three—"

  Just as he lifted the lid, a sudden sneeze erupted from someone nearby.

  Halon's eyes widened in shock.

  By the time he realized what had happened, it was already too late. The thing inside was gone, leaving behind only the cold, empty box. The air around them grew just as frigid as their expressions.

  "Shit!" All five of them cursed in unison.

  Meanwhile, in the attic of Noctis, a crow suddenly appeared beside his bed.

  It stared at him with a dozen eerie, unblin

  king eyes before letting out a chilling cry—

  "Kar! Kar!"