The Abyss

The moment I faced Nyx's power, it felt as though I had plunged into an impenetrable darkness where nothing ahead could be seen.

—Contractor, overcome this.

Ah.

You should have warned me before turning the lights off!

As the dense power of 'Night' seeped into me, strength drained from my entire body. My limbs grew heavy, like cotton soaked through with water. If Gaia's authority had been a tidal wave trying to swallow me whole, Nyx's power was an endless pull dragging me toward the ocean floor.

Damn goddess.

Even out of spite, I'll beat this!

Just as I had devoured Gaia's essence, I would consume Nyx's power as well. The moment I swallowed the thick essence of 'Night,' my fading senses began to return. While I wandered through the infinite darkness Nyx had shown me—like walking a lightless tunnel in search of an exit—my hazy mind suddenly cleared.

A new power settled at the crown of my head. It was Nyx's power—Polar Night. An entirely separate energy had been added, distinct from mana, internal energy, or divine power.

Swish!

Darkness shimmered at my fingertips. It resembled the 'shadows' that Antonio, the Brazilian High Ranker, had wielded. Yet I instinctively knew the truth.

'What he controlled was merely an imitation.'

A fragment of a miracle manifested through a sacred relic. The power of the Goddess of Night, Nyx, was not limited to mere shadows. It was the night that blanketed the sky—the darkness that swallowed light itself.

—To perfectly absorb a fragment of night… As expected of my contractor!

"Goddess, let's be honest."

—What is it?

"You tried to assassinate me, didn't you?"

—Hohoho, I merely placed my unwavering trust in my contractor.

"That kind of trust is enough for just this once."

I meant it. While accepting a portion of Nyx's power, I had nearly been buried beneath the darkness of night.

"By the way, what exactly is Darkness Dominion?"

—I have simply shared my power with you as it is.

"Hmm. It seems inferior to Shadow Manipulation."

—You dare compare my power to the derivative of some sacred relic?!

Nyx grew indignant and climbed atop my head. Thump— thump— Her dainty fists struck my crown, but rather than pain, it felt more like a massage.

"That feels nice. A little lower, please."

—How dare you insult me! Darkness Dominion is the very foundation of my being!

"Just listen to me for a second."

Shadow Manipulation had a range of thirty meters and could control the shadows of others or objects. In contrast, Darkness Dominion's range was far too narrow.

"There's also the penalty of having to generate my own darkness in bright areas."

—Hohoho. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠My power, Polar Night, can even cover the sun itself.

"Ah, and there's another problem with what you called Polar Night."

Shadow Manipulation consumed mana. Thanks to Dragon's Heart, I possessed an overflowing supply of mana, so using it in combat posed no burden whatsoever. But what about Darkness Dominion?

It could only be activated with Nyx's power—Polar Night.

—That is precisely why it is a higher form of power. The scraps of a sacred relic are nothing more than a crude imitation of my authority.

"Maybe someday."

—Now do you finally understand my greatness……

"The problem is that, right now, Shadow Manipulation still looks better."

The stat Polar Night was similar to divine power. Or rather, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be precise, Polar Night was an extension of divine power—a new branch added to it.

"At this point, there's no way to increase the Polar Night stat."

What I could wield was only an extremely small amount of darkness. Even spread as thinly as possible, it could barely cover my entire body. Still, for a stat value of 1, the output was tremendous—equivalent to mana worth 10, perhaps even 20 points. If I condensed that darkness, it could tear through solid steel.

But even so, its practical combat utility was lower than Shadow Manipulation.

—That cannot be true.

"Why not?"

—Why not invest your bonus stat points into Polar Night?

"There's no way that would……"

I trailed off. Wait—assuming it was impossible was the strange part. The goddess who had granted me this power, Nyx herself, had said it was possible, hadn't she?

If I could increase the Polar Night stat through level-up bonuses……

"That's incredible."

I finally understood what Nyx had meant. With a stat value of 1, I could already produce this much power. What if I invested into Polar Night every time I leveled up?

'It would be more useful than divine power.'

Or rather, Polar Night was Nyx's divine power. Unlike a tiny grain of divine power, Polar Night could be grown as much as I desired, so long as I had the will.

My jaw dropped.

—Hohoho, now you finally understand my greatness.

"Goddess."

—What is it?

"Thank you so much!!!"

I grabbed Nyx, who was still perched on my head, and spun in place.

—C-Contractor, stop this at once! I am growing dizzy!

"It's all thanks to you, Goddess."

I beamed. After spinning for a long while, I finally stopped.

—Ugh, uuuugh.

"So even goddesses get motion sickness."

—M-My vessel is only at the level of a mortal. Uuugh!

She was a spiritual body, so there was nothing for her to vomit, yet she still complained of dizziness. Leaving the queasy Nyx behind, I checked the final blessing she had granted me.

Oh? It even boosted the recovery rate of mana, divine power, and Polar Night alike. In terms of recovery range alone, it was a superior version of Blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess. The condition was harder to fulfill than simply standing on the ground, but in exchange, when combined with the stamina and vitality recovery from Blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess, my total recovery rate would rise by 100%.

"This is insane."

—Ugh, what is it?

"You're just that amazing, Goddess."

—Hohoho, hohohoho, praise my greatness even more!

Even while complaining of dizziness, Nyx puffed out her chest. I had obtained a weapon far more powerful than anything I could have imagined before my regression.

"Ah, Goddess. There's something I need to ask."

—Speak freely.

"The Night Temple is filled with your essence."

—Hohoho, it is power I cannot wield anyway. Devour it to your heart's content.

As expected. She understood immediately, even though we had only been together for a short while.

"Goddess, I love you."

—D-Do not try to flatter me!

Why? I was being sincere.

"Then I won't hold back……"

I placed my palm against the floor of the chamber. It reminded me of the time I had devoured the essence within the Temple of Zeus.

The darkness that had filled the chamber was sucked into my palm. That was the result of devouring all the essence within the Night Temple.

"Fewer than I expected."

—My power is scattered across many places.

"Can you sense the scattered power?"

—I can.

Made sense. The Tower of Babel had been erected in every country. The tutorial was unfolding simultaneously across nations worldwide. Naturally, the number of Night Temples had increased accordingly, dispersing the power.

"No, wait. The Old Gods must have used your power to manifest the night within the Tower."

—What do you mean?

"Clearing Rainbow Island alone won't be enough to reclaim your power."

—Things have become complicated.

"You've got a reliable contractor, don't you? Cheer up."

—Hohoho, I shall place my trust in you alone.

It had been a joke, yet Nyx took it seriously, leaving me feeling awkward.

"Goddess, I have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a request."

—What is it?

"Become my teacher."

Swish!

Dense darkness surged from behind me—darkness forged from Polar Night. The shapeless darkness rippled violently, like flames.

"This is… harder to control than I thought."

I furrowed my brow. Manifesting the darkness itself wasn't the issue. Having wielded divine power in my previous life, releasing Polar Night outward came easily. The problem came after.

The darkness I manifested refused to move according to my will.

'That bastard Antonio had no trouble with it.'

Damn. Losing face in front of the goddess.

—Do not worry. Even countless constellations feared and failed to comprehend my power.

Nyx placed her tiny hand on my forearm.

—From now on, I shall move your Polar Night for a short while.

"Got it."

The Polar ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Night settled at my crown stirred and spread outward. I closed my eyes and focused on its flow.

—Now, feel it.

Swish!

Polar Night blanketed a ten-meter radius. Nyx condensed that darkness into a single point. The energy of twenty-five Polar Night points merged into the shape of a sword.

—Remember this well. Polar Night is the power of will. Your thoughts alone define its form.

The energy that had coalesced into a single sword scattered into dozens. This time, it took the form of limp, tentacle-like appendages. The total power of twenty-five points was now evenly distributed across each individual tentacle, as though the previous unified form had never existed.

—Polar Night is a shield that protects you, a sword that cuts down your enemies, and a tool as well.

I engraved every word of Nyx's teaching into my mind. The ever-changing darkness eventually ceased its movement and seeped back into my body.

—Huuuugh.

Nyx let out a deep sigh. Her already pale skin had lost all color, turning deathly white.

"Goddess, are you all right?!"

—I am fine. I am merely a little fatigued from controlling your Polar Night with my own dominion.

"Don't push yourself like that."

My expression hardened. Several hours had passed since Nyx had taken control of my Polar Night. From what she had just said, it seemed she had overexerted herself.

"We'll be together for a long time. So take it easy."

—Ah, 'together'……?

The goddess trailed off.

……Why was she acting like that again?

—Ahem. This is the first time I have ever lent my strength to another, so I did not realize it would be so taxing.

"Don't overdo it next time."

—I shall not cause my contractor worry.

After receiving Nyx's firm assurance, I slowly drew out the Polar Night residing within my body. Releasing too much at once would only make control more difficult. Only as much as I could handle.

Swish!

Polar Night manifested in the form of black smoke.

"This much I could already do."

I attempted to project my will onto the manifested darkness, fixing it into a solid form—the same method Nyx had used.

—Do not push yourself too hard. My darkness possesses a depth that cannot be understood in a single……?

Nyx's voice trailed off. I spoke to the goddess, who wore a blank expression.

"It works."

A two-meter-long sword. A blade of darkness forged from shadow had manifested.

—Polar Night will disperse immediately if your willpower is insufficient. Try swinging that sword.

Nyx gave the order, her voice a mixture of bewilderment and joy.

Clack.

After gripping the hilt, I swung it in an X-shape. The air inside the temple tore apart along the blade's trajectory.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Even after swinging the sword repeatedly, it showed no sign of returning to formless darkness.

—I-I cannot believe it!

"With such an outstanding teacher guiding me, the disciple has no choice but to rise to the occasion."

I grinned.