MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 1208: Test Of Existence

The Will shook his head as he spoke. “I won’t lie, I haven’t seen the record,” he answered truthfully, “but I don’t need to. No mortal, no anomaly, dead or alive, past, present, or future, can achieve what you have.” He stated this as he calmly sipped his tea, his expression remaining as tranquil as ever.

“Do you know that throughout the time you spent in Nothingness, a place where time does not flow and nothing exists, only a single minute passed?” The Will continued. “You, who are barely twenty years of age, experienced the fundamental concept of Existence, something that cages almost everyone who goes through it. You, who possess the Thought Compartment ability, experienced this particular event over a million times more than anyone else, yet you stepped out in just a single minute.” The Will’s voice remained calm, but even within that calmness was a faint trace of admiration.

Anthony stayed silent as he processed what The Will had said. Anthony was familiar with the concept of Nothingness. After all, he had read plenty of novels back on Earth to understand what such a concept represented.

“If time doesn’t flow in Nothingness, how are you sure I spent only a minute over there?” Anthony asked.

“I simply counted the time myself from here the moment you left the Heavenly Staircase. Although time also does not flow here,” The Will answered.

Anthony nodded for a moment before asking, “Was what I experienced in Nothingness a test of some kind?”

Although he could already guess the answer, he still asked, as he needed confirmation.

“It was,” The Will answered as he began to explain. “You can’t ascend if you don’t truly know who you are. You can’t ascend if you can’t pass the tests of Mind, Will, Self, and Existence.” He paused for a moment, his hand moving toward the chessboard as he made another move. “The Test of Self is not a test set by me but by Existence itself. It is not something either I or even the Universe can influence. Although you and your friends had a good plan to ascend together and face whatever lay ahead as one, sadly, in the eyes of Existence, we are all born alone, and we shall all die alone.” His voice remained steady, as though he were merely stating an undeniable truth.

Anthony didn’t speak for a moment. His eyes remained on the chessboard as he finally made his own move.

Seeing that Anthony wasn’t speaking, The Will simply continued. “Throughout my dawn, only six people have ascended. That alone should tell you how difficult and rare Ascension truly is. Out of those six, half have already gone to the Upper Galaxies, while the other three remain trapped within their own tests, forever.” His tone remained calm, almost indifferent, yet the weight behind his words was immense.

Hearing those words, Anthony paused, his mind reeling from shock as he imagined experiencing what he had gone through in Nothingness infinitely, without end. Anthony didn’t bother asking whether The Will could help them, as the being had already stated that the test existed outside even his own authority.

Anthony couldn’t even begin to imagine how long those three had spent within Nothingness.

His thoughts inevitably drifted toward his friends, his parents, Vega, his grandparents, and his subordinates. What if they too became trapped in Nothingness forever? What if they never managed to leave? The thought lingered within his mind for only a brief moment before he slowly shook his head, choosing instead to place his faith in them. They had all overcome numerous impossible obstacles before. If anyone could conquer such a trial, they could.

“When they pass this Test of Existence, will they also meet you?” Anthony asked, as he had originally planned to simply wait there until the first person completed their own Test of Existence.

“They won’t,” The Will answered flatly without missing a beat. “Ascendants don’t meet me. Only you and the First Ascendant have ever come into contact with me. The First Ascendant simply because she was the first to ascend, and you because you are… special.” A faint smile appeared on his face as he finished speaking.

Anthony nodded in understanding.

‘So the First Ascendant is a woman,’ Anthony thought to himself as he wondered just how overwhelmingly powerful and talented such a woman had become after reaching heights.

Although those thoughts lingered within his mind, another question quickly surfaced. Without missing a beat, he asked it.

“If you aren’t allowed to interfere, then how come the First Ascendant and I were able to come here?” he asked as he took another sip of his tea.

“That’s because after the Test of Existence, there is another test, and I am the one who governs that particular trial, as you are ascending from my Galaxy,” The Will answered calmly.

Anthony’s thoughts flickered. He had already suspected there was another test awaiting him, but he had never been completely certain. Now, however, that suspicion had become absolute confirmation.

“The other three you said haven’t ascended… are they trapped in your test or the Test of Existence?” Anthony asked as he tried to better understand the being sitting before him.

The Will smiled, visibly amused by Anthony’s question as he replied, “I’m not that wicked, Null Anthony.” His tone remained calm. “If those three were trapped in my test, I would have simply cancelled it and sent them back to where they came from. I have no reason to keep people here indefinitely while wasting my own energy on them.” As he spoke, he had already resolved that if any of those three ever managed to overcome the Test of Existence, he would immediately send them back without hesitation.

Anthony remained silent, merely meeting those pure white eyes with his own sky-blue ones, his expression perfectly calm as neither of them looked away.

“The other test is also one of the reasons I brought you here,” The Will added.

Anthony’s curiosity stirred, but he remained silent. He already knew the man would continue explaining without needing to be prompted.

“Although you might not realize it, you truly did save the entire Galaxy during your battle against the fake God and the Demon King, Azrath Kaelthar Morvanyx Doomrend,” The Will continued.

“Although the Spirit King spoke about the Galaxy enduring numerous calamitous battles throughout its history, and how they chose not to interfere because the Galaxy continued to exist regardless, this situation was entirely different.”

“Had you lost, or had you never existed in the first place, the Demon King and the fake God would have first wiped out those Olden beings before seizing complete control of the Galaxy. Afterward, they would have begun searching for me before ultimately destroying the Galaxy itself in an attempt to fuel their own Ascension, all while remaining blissfully unaware that they were still destined to fail.”

“The hands of Existence cannot be forced by just anyone, no matter how powerful they become.” He paused for a brief moment, lifting the teacup toward his lips once more before taking another slow sip, as though his throat had become slightly dry from speaking for so long.