Chapter 7: Raison d'etre

One step, two steps, with every step, her little feet were tapping the ground. Elegantly. Beautifully.

The glitters of her gown enchanted any onlookers that accidentally laid their eyes on her. Sometimes smiling, other times scowling, and so many expressions from her face were clearly seen. Her sharp glare could not be described by words, as the gleam of her eyes induced fear to her onlookers.

There, a long slim object was held by her little hand. It was something like a rod, with two sharp tips at the edge. It was a lance, so black that one would mistake it as a lump of charcoal. Red and black hazes oozed from both her body and her lance.

One step, two steps, three steps. And, Stab!

Just like that, one fiery monster vanished, leaving anything but ashes, and swallowed by her eerie dark haze.

She was smiling.

Beautifully.

Gracefully.

Her eyes were glowing.

From there, mankind knew that the girl known as the Sky-clad Dancer was an existence they should be praying to.

As time went on, she was then known as a bigger threat than the Asura.

The Little Demon Queen.

***

"So Dea, tell me, what should I do after this?"

It was fine knowing that I got new skills, but each one of them would not do any good for fighting. Even right up until now, it was a miracle I hadn't met any Asuras.

[This is a place known as the Ancient Dome. Located on the 6th floor of the first layer of the Abyss.]

Dea answered calmly.

"Hmm…"

I tried looking at my surroundings. Judging from the countless infernal fountains that were here and there, this place should be one that could be called a "spawn point". It should be housing a lot of powerful Asuras. Where the hell did they go then?

"Dea, you said this is the 6th floor, right? Where are the monsters?", I asked abruptly. "You also said this is the first layer, how many layers are there?"

[The Asuras are known for their individuality. As to why it is empty here, I do not have the answer for it.]

It was rare to hear Dea saying she knew nothing of something.

"I see…", I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. "And how about my second question?"

[At first, I must reject the theory that your kind, humanity, has made.]

Huh?

[It does not make sense that the Abyss only has 100 floors to stand on. In your last regression, you also faced the Warden of the first layer, did you not?]

"Wait a minute, so that nasty creature wasn't a floor guardian?", I panicked a little bit after assuming that the theories I always believed were completely wrong.

[Negative. Every floor has a Guardian and every layer has a Warden. The one you faced before, Bhasmasura, is a Warden.]

Dea paused shortly before continuing explaining.

[A layer is divided into 100 floors, while the Abyss was created to have 9 layers.]

"...", I was rendered speechless. "How many floors are there in total?"

I dared myself to ask for an answer I already knew.

[Approximately 999 floors since the last layer contains 199 floors.]

It was more than I thought. Her explanation made it clearer that I had been so useless during all of my regressions before.

"58 out of a thousand, huh?", I sat down while looking upwards. "I couldn't even reach the second layer even after regressing so many times."

[In the end, the theory that says the Abyss only has a hundred floors is a mistake.]

Damn. Her words pierced my already crumbling heart. Even though I knew she wasn't lying.

[In this regression, as long as you do what I suggest, you will accomplish your goal finely.]

Again, I knew she was being so considerate. And then, a sudden question that I should have asked even before anything popped up inside my head.

"Dea, what year is it?"

[It is 2508, exactly 8 years before you died in your last regression.]

Wait a minute, 2508? I should have been born exactly in 2500, not 2508. What happened?

[The vessel you had been using, or rather, the man named Fayre, also exists in this regression.]

"Huh? What do you mean by that?!", I jumped in shock.

[It means just as the same as how it sounds. The other you also exists.]

The more she explained, the harder it was to understand. I was so confused by the fact that I was born 8 years later while the other me had existed even before.

[You were not born. You were directly created by Goddess Bona Dea as one of her Incarnations. Her judgment is always perfect, whether it is about time or place.]

"Is that related to why I'm no longer a human?"

[Correct. You were originally a soul infused into a vessel, and once that vessel vanishes, your soul will return to where it should be…]

She paused for a moment.

[Any more than this is not acceptable. If you wish to know more, please raise your synchronization rate.]

So it was true. I had my suspicion since everything was so abnormal from the beginning. I wondered what would happen if the current me, Farenna, met the man named Fayre, or the past me.

[Fayre, or the man you used to be, is now a regular Diver. He is not tasked to save humanity, so his path is way different from yours. But if you happened to meet him, similar to other Divers, you would be hunted down.]

"... This is vexing, to be honest.", I sighed heavily. "I would be hunted by myself? That's a bad joke…"

[That is one of many reasons why I advised you to get stronger.]

I lifted my right hand, trying to reach the ceiling.

"Out there, the other me also fights for his life, huh?", I stared upwards. "One day, I'll definitely meet you. Don't die before then."

I clenched my fists and mustered my resolve.

***

"Dea, you said I must increase my synchronization rate, right?"

[Yes. That is the first step to unlock your basic talent, as well as to understand more about yourself.]

"Hmm…", I pondered a little bit. "By the way, what should I be synchronized with?"

Dea went silent right after I asked that question. My gut instinct told me that it was not a good premonition.

[...]

"Dea?"

She was still silent.

[...]

"Are you there? What's happening?"

I panicked a little bit.

[I suggest you experience it yourself…]

"Hol' up! What do you mean by that?!", I raised my voice due to the sudden development.

[Assessing the surroundings… No threat detected within a hundred meters. Requesting permission to increase the synchronization rate to the bare minimum required…]

"Huh? Eh? Hey what are you do—... Ugh…"

[Permission granted.]

Suddenly, a loud ringing sound pierced my ears and a huge amount of information was forcefully rammed into my head. My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was exploding.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!", I screamed as hard as I could.

[Connecting to the world system, New Earth… Connection established. Preparing for new genes and choices for future evolution…]

Fragments of memories that weren't mine also entered my brain, as well as a lot of scenic images showing something like a tree chart with countless parts.

[New genes and choices prepared. Continuing on increasing the synchronization level.]

I tried holding my head with my hands, while also trying to stand still. My body was getting hotter and hotter, while my innards felt like being stirred up like crazy.

"... Blaaargh!!!", I hurled so badly. "W-What is this?! Urgh…!!!"

The dizziness mixed with a sensation of being hit continuously by something blunt right on the back of my head. It was a painful experience, probably the worst one I ever felt. I staggered a little bit as a result.

[Synchronization rate successfully increased.]

"I-Is it over now…?", I opened my eyes a little bit.

The pain I felt subsided a little bit, even though the sharp sting in my head was still there, ringing like crazy.

[Congratulations. You have gained a new understanding of yourself.]

"Damn! What was that?!"

[Please check your status for more details.]

"Don't you see I'm still hurting now?!"

[I suggest you look at your status as soon as possible.]

I did not know what happened to my body, and I forced myself to summon my status in my dizzy head. The next thing I knew was that the status I was looking at right after made my eyes widen in bewilderment.

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           {{{ Status }}}

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Name   : Farenna

Gender : Female

Age      : 8 y.o

Race    : Lv. 1/30 Blood Nymph

Status  : Sealed

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Sync. Rate: 10.01% (↑9.7% Up)

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HP  : 200        MP: 100

SP  : 70

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STR: 10         LUK: 5

AGI : 15         DEX: 10

INT : 12         VIT  : 20

Unallocated pts: 0

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Equipments:

· Headgear : None

· Armor       : Rough Golden Gown (Rare)

· Torso        : None

· Feet         : None

· Misc.        : Sealing Chains of Hell (EX)

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Skills:

· Appraisal Lv. 1

· Devour (EX)

· Bona Dea (Unique)

· Crafting Lv. 1

· Weaving Lv. 1

· (New!) Weaponize Lv. 1

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Blessings:

· Blessing of Purity & Chastity

· Blessing of Growth (Inherited)

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Curses: None

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Titles:

· Regressor

· Goddess' Apostle

· Rotten to the Bone

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"Blood… Nymph?", I whispered.

[It is your race.]

"What the fuck is that?!"

[New task acquired. Level up to max by killing low ranked Asuras! Rewards: Synchronization Rate +10%, All Stats +10.]

"Haaaaaaaah?!"