Chapter 200: A Simple Guy

Gray wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and slowly rose to his feet.

His entire body screamed in protest. The wound across his chest continued to bleed, while the fresh injury along his side throbbed with every movement. His Abyssal Regeneration was working to repair the damage, but the constant loss of blood made it difficult to recover any meaningful amount of HP.

He was running out of time and his opponent didn’t even look remotely serious.

’Calm down, Gray. Panicking won’t solve anything.’

He forced himself to take a deep breath, his golden eyes fixed on the Shadow Knight.

’This is the most dangerous fight after fighting the primordial, is there no other way to penetrate that armor?’

"You’re thinking very hard," the Shadow Knight remarked.

Gray glanced at him.

"Sorry. I’m trying to figure out whether dying here will at least give me some compensation from the System."

"Compensation?"

"Yeah. You know, for getting thrown into a death trap and forced to fight a walking catastrophe. Maybe a free evolution or something."

The Shadow Knight stared at him for a moment before releasing a low chuckle.

"Your sense of humor is peculiar."

"That’s what happens when you spend too much time alone."

Then the knight stared at him for a moment.

"Alone..."

The word escaped its mouth almost absently, as though it had stirred a memory buried beneath centuries of darkness.

However, the moment passed quickly.

"Enough. I have indulged your foolishness long enough."

The Shadow Knight raised its free hand.

The pressure surrounding Gray intensified.

His knees buckled, and his body was forced downward as though an invisible mountain had been placed upon his shoulders.

[WARNING: MOVEMENT RESTRICTION DETECTED]

[SKILL ACTIVATION RATE: SEVERELY REDUCED]

Gray’s fingers dug into the stone floor.

"Damn it..."

He tried to stand, but the pressure only grew stronger.

The Shadow Knight approached him, its greatsword dragging behind it.

"Tell me, Jellyfish. Do you know why I have remained here for so long?"

Gray’s eyes narrowed.

"Should I guess? Because you enjoy decorating underground rooms with the corpses of unfortunate adventurers?"

"Partly."

"...You’re actually admitting that?"

"I have killed countless creatures. Adventurers, monsters, mages, knights. Some came seeking treasures. Others sought glory. A few believed they could defeat me and claim my power."

The knight stopped in front of him.

"Every one of them possessed something they believed would make them exceptional. Rare abilities. Ancient artifacts. Extraordinary bloodlines."

Its pale visor glowed.

"And every one of them was wrong."

Gray gritted his teeth as the pressure continued to crush him.

"Congratulations. You’re very good at killing people. Do you want a medal?"

"No."

The Shadow Knight lowered its helmet until its empty visor was level with Gray’s face.

"I want to know whether you will prove them all wrong."

Gray’s expression stiffened.

For the first time, the knight’s words sounded less like a threat and more like a genuine question.

But that didn’t make the situation any less dangerous.

"What if I say no?"

"Then you will die."

"Right. Should’ve expected that."

Gray closed his eyes for a brief moment.

He needed information. Anything that could give him an advantage.

And if the Shadow Knight was willing to talk, he might as well exploit that opportunity.

"Okay. Since you’re so interested in me, answer a question."

The knight tilted its head, something about this creature felt different from all the others he had fought.

"You wish to bargain?"

"Not really. More like satisfying my curiosity before you turn me into minced meat."

Gray opened his eyes and looked at him fearlessly.

"You said you hate the Primordial. Why?"

The chamber fell silent when Gray’s question came out.

The pressure weighing down Gray’s body remained unchanged, but something in the Shadow Knight’s posture shifted.

Its fingers tightened around the hilt of its greatsword.

The knight was silent for a moment at that question.

Then a low, distorted voice emerged from beneath its helmet.

"Because that creature was the reason I lost everything."

’Everything?’ Gray thought, narrowing his eyes.

Before he could ask another question, the Shadow Knight continued.

"The Primordial was not a god of creation, despite what some ancient civilizations believed. Nor was it a benevolent guardian that descended from the heavens to protect the weak."

Its voice grew colder with every word.

"It was a judge."

A faint violet light flickered across the knight’s armor.

"An existence that decided what deserved to remain and what should be erased. Entire species vanished beneath its judgment. Civilizations that had flourished for thousands of years were reduced to dust because they had been deemed unworthy of continuing."

Gray remained silent.

He had witnessed the Primordial’s overwhelming power firsthand. He knew how easily it could destroy creatures that would otherwise be considered apex predators.

But he had never considered what such power might mean for the world around it.

"So," Gray said slowly, "you’re saying it destroyed everything you cared about?"

The Shadow Knight’s visor turned toward him.

"No."

Its answer was immediate.

"It destroyed me."

The words carried a weight that even Gray’s sarcasm couldn’t easily dismiss.

For a moment, he wondered what kind of existence could reduce a creature like the Shadow Knight to such a state.

Then the knight raised its greatsword.

"And now, its essence resides within you."

The violet light across its armor intensified.

"I will not allow another creature to inherit that power without understanding its true nature."

Gray stared at the blade hovering above him.

"That’s a pretty elaborate way of saying you have personal issues."

The Shadow Knight remained motionless.

"...Personal issues?"

"Yeah. You hate the Primordial, so you decided to take it out on me. I’m not a therapist, but I’m pretty sure that’s unhealthy."

The knight who heard Gray’s words immediately laughed loudly.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"You truly are an extraordinary fool."

The Shadow Knight’s laughter faded.

"But perhaps you are not entirely wrong."

Gray was surprised by the sudden statement.

’Wait. What?’

Before he could process the unexpected admission, the pressure suddenly vanished.

His body lurched forward, and he nearly collapsed onto his hands.

[EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE — TERMINATED]

[SKILL ACTIVATION RESTORED]

Gray immediately scrambled backward, putting several meters between himself and the knight.

He didn’t understand why his opponent had released him, but he certainly wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

His eyes flickered toward his status.

[GRAY ASHFORD]

[HP: 1,125 / 1,880]

[MP: 1,342 / 1,800]

[BLEED: -18 HP/SECOND]

’First things first.’

He activated Abyssal Regeneration and concentrated on stabilizing his injuries. The wounds wouldn’t close instantly, but even a small amount of recovery would help him survive the next exchange.

Then he activated Predator’s Instinct.

The Shadow Knight stood several meters away, its greatsword resting against one shoulder.

It wasn’t attacking.

’Why?’

Gray studied the creature carefully.

’If it wants to kill me, it could’ve done it already. It had plenty of opportunities.’

That didn’t mean the knight was incapable of killing him. Quite the opposite. Gray had already experienced firsthand how easily it could overpower him.

But something was holding it back.

Curiosity, perhaps.

Or some other motive Gray hadn’t discovered yet.

Either way, he needed to make use of it.

"Hey, tin can."

The Shadow Knight turned its helmet toward him.

"Another question?"

"Actually, yeah. You keep saying you want to understand me, but you haven’t explained why my attacks don’t work."

Gray raised one hand, allowing a small sphere of void energy to form above his palm.

"Is it your armor? Some kind of defensive skill? Or are you simply cheating?"

The Shadow Knight looked at the sphere.

Then it looked back at Gray.

"Would you believe me if I told you it was none of those things?"

Gray’s expression stiffened.

"Of course not."

The knight slowly lifted its free hand and pressed two fingers against its own breastplate.

"This armor is merely a vessel. It can be damaged, broken, or destroyed. My ability to nullify your attacks has nothing to do with its physical properties."

Gray’s attention sharpened as he worked to understand what the information meant.

’So the armor isn’t responsible.’

"Then what is it?"

The Shadow Knight’s fingers curled into a fist.

"Existence."

Gray stared at him with confusion.

"...Come again?"

"Your attacks are powerful. Some of them might even threaten beings far stronger than you. But every attack you have launched against me relies on imposing your power upon my existence."

It extended its hand toward the void sphere.

"And I refuse to accept it."

The sphere trembled.

Gray’s eyes widened as the energy dispersed into nothingness.

He hadn’t released the attack. The knight hadn’t physically touched it, either.

It had simply ceased to exist.

"What the hell..."

The Shadow Knight lowered its hand.

"I am a fragment of the Seed of Destruction. My existence is not bound by the same laws that govern ordinary creatures. When I reject an attack, the world itself struggles to recognize that the attack ever happened."

Gray felt a chill run down his spine.

’That’s ridiculous.’

Defense penetration wouldn’t help him. Neither would increasing his attack power. If the Shadow Knight could simply reject the damage, then even the strongest attack he possessed might accomplish nothing.

But something about the explanation bothered him.

"Wait a minute."

Gray slowly raised his head.

"You said the world struggles to recognize the attack. You didn’t say it was impossible for the world to recognize it."

The Shadow Knight fell silent.

Gray’s golden eyes narrowed as if he was sure of something.

"Which means your ability has limits."

The knight didn’t answer immediately. He didn’t expect the creature before him to be able to discern the gap in his power.

Gray’s heart began to beat faster.

’Got you.’

He wasn’t certain he had found a weakness. The knight might simply be choosing its words carefully, or perhaps its ability truly was as absolute as it claimed.

But the hesitation was worth investigating.

"Let me guess," Gray continued. "Rejecting an attack requires something from you. Mana, energy, concentration, whatever. And if you have to deal with too many attacks at once, you can’t reject all of them."

The Shadow Knight slowly lowered its greatsword.

"An interesting theory," he said calmly.

"That’s not a denial."

"It is not a confirmation, either."

Gray clicked his tongue.

’Annoying bastard.’

Still, he had learned something useful.

The knight’s immunity might not be an ordinary defensive trait. It could be a rule imposed upon reality itself.

And rules, no matter how absurd, often came with conditions.

Gray glanced at the wounds across his body.

He couldn’t afford to keep testing his theory through direct attacks.

He needed another approach.

His gaze drifted toward the ancient roots twisting across the chamber walls, then toward the cracks in the stone floor left by the Shadow Knight’s sword.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

’If I can’t damage the bastard directly...’

He slowly raised his hand.

’...then maybe I don’t need to attack him at all.’

The Shadow Knight noticed the change in his expression.

"What are you planning?"

Gray’s smile widened.

"Nothing much."

He activated Tectonic Shift, this time aiming at the ceiling instead.

A deep rumble shook the chamber as the stone above them split apart. Massive chunks of rock broke loose, plunging toward the floor alongside a tangled mass of ancient roots.

The Shadow Knight looked up, realizing he had underestimated the creature.

"...So you intend to use the environment against me."

Gray grinned in satisfaction.

"What can I say? I’m a simple guy. If punching you doesn’t work, I’ll just let the ceiling do it."