Madness is power

The focus of the power system in this world revolves around determination and resolve. Of course, the fact that the system is highly cliché likely doesn't surprise anyone anymore... However, explaining how special powers are obtained in this world is a bit more complicated. Sometimes, special powers are innate, but more often than not, they are gained as one grows stronger. Despite centuries of research by the Imperial Academy, the exact process of acquiring these powers remains a mystery, and no definitive conclusion has been reached.

The common belief is that new abilities emerge as one becomes stronger, particularly for individuals who excel at a young age. Such individuals often possess even more extraordinary abilities and talents. This situation stems from the chaotic—or perhaps "do as I please"—system created by Neonidas' ex-girlfriend due to her laziness.

One thing is clear: Neonidas could never, under any circumstances, be as powerful as Roman, who was raised under harsh conditions from childhood. At least, not in terms of close combat. Similarly, Allea, who had been blessed with exceptional talents since childhood, had worked tirelessly and with remarkable determination to grow stronger. Moreover, Allea was a princess, meaning she had no need to push herself so hard, but she kept breaking her limits day by day, eventually reaching her current state.

Considering how utterly useless the original Neonidas was and the fact that he was never blessed with any talent in his childhood, how could the current Neonidas compete with these superpowered individuals? Without a doubt, Roman, the hero, could easily kill Neonidas in mere seconds if he wanted to. In a world filled with such monsters, how was Neonidas supposed to survive, let alone rise to the top? Fortunately, Neonidas seemed to have a plan.

Neonidas and his ducal convoy came to a halt near a rocky hill. After chugging down an entire flask of liquor in one go, Neonidas stepped out of the carriage. They were likely only a few hours away from the capital, and the weather was incredibly rainy.

"Nobody follow me! I'll probably be back in five minutes, anyway. Soren! You're in charge while I'm gone," Neonidas declared before disappearing into a cave, leaving everyone behind in stunned silence.

In truth, this wasn't just a cave—no, it was a dungeon. Here, Neonidas planned to obtain something that would at least multiply his mastery over his abilities many times over.

Walking calmly through the dark cave for several minutes, Neonidas eventually came across a statue that suddenly came to life, as though it had sensed his approach.

The statue was humanoid and made of black stone, with a fearsome appearance. Its eyes glowed as if lit from within, and its hands were spread open on either side. For a brief moment, the smirk on Neonidas' face gave way to a look of seriousness as he examined the statue's details.

The statue spoke in a deep, resonant voice, its tone echoing through the cave.

"Welcome, traveler. If you wish to pass and uncover my secrets, you must prove your wisdom and intelligence. Here is your riddle:

Neither forged of gold nor carved from diamond,

Yet kingdoms have fallen for me in times long past.

I hide within a shell,

But you cannot grasp me with your hands.

All seek me; some find, others lose.

What am I?"

Neonidas stood in silence for a moment, his eyes searching for the answer. He quickly realized what the riddle was. Solving such a cliché riddle wasn't hard for him. However, this was where his plan came into play.

Muttering to himself, he repeated the clues,

"Not gold or diamond, but kingdoms have fallen for me... hidden in a shell but untouchable by hand... Ah, of course, the answer is... My balls!"

Laughing aloud, Neonidas waited impatiently to see the statue's reaction to his sarcastic answer. The statue's expression of silent dismay slowly morphed into one of dark fury. The glowing light in its eyes intensified, illuminating the cave with an eerie brilliance. The statue's thunderous voice echoed through the cavern,

"You will pay for your insolence with your life, traveler!"

The statue's massive stone hands moved suddenly, seizing Neonidas tightly and lifting him toward its mouth. Neonidas passed through the statue's gaping maw, only to find himself in a completely different place. The space he was in suddenly changed the moment he entered the belly of the statue, as if he had passed through a portal.

He now stood on crimson sands, surrounded by the ruins of a few temples. There was nothing on the horizon except for these desolate structures, which resembled ancient Far Eastern designs from Neonidas' old world. It felt like he was in limbo, a place spoken of in myths as the realm between life and death.

Neonidas' smirk didn't waver as he carefully scanned his surroundings. Moments later, he heard the sound of something stirring—a creature awakening. Turning swiftly toward the sound, Neonidas saw a massive, menacing figure emerge from the shadows of a ruined temple. Its body was shrouded in dark flames and clad in sharp, jagged armor. Its eyes burned with a vivid red glow, and every movement sent ripples through the surrounding air. This entity was destruction personified.

Narrowing his eyes, Neonidas muttered with a mocking grin, "Well, well. Looks like I get greeted by a fancy 'demon.' Has anyone told you how cool you are?"

The towering figure drove a massive sword into the ground, shaking the earth beneath them. Its voice boomed like a storm.

"Who dares challenge me? I am the one who shakes the earth and rends the seas. Who dares disturb my slumber?!"

"Enough with the speeches, bro. Let's just fight already."

Unable to tolerate Neonidas' mocking tone, the creature's flames flared even more intensely, radiating pure rage.

The demon advanced menacingly, its flaming sword cutting through the air like a vortex. Neonidas stood his ground, his mocking grin still intact, and focussed on using the element of light.

The demon swung its sword toward him, but Neonidas leaped aside, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow. The impact sent a massive explosion of crimson earth into the air.

"Is that all you've got? Is this really the best you can do?" Neonidas taunted, though a flicker of concern grew within him.

Raising his hand, he began to channel light energy, forming a spear of light. However, the spear wavered, unstable and flickering. Neonidas hurled it toward the demon's chest, but when it struck the creature's dark armor, it left only a small crack.

The creature let out a mocking laugh. "Is this your power? So you're both stupid and weak, huh?"

Neonidas refocused. "It's not over yet."

This time he tried to turn his two hands into swords. His energy was nearly depleted, but he kept trying to control the light element. His hands, now transformed into swords, were trembling, but he had no intention of giving up. He quickly charged toward the creature.

The creature was waiting for Neonidas' attack. Neonidas struck the first sword against the creature's armor. The crack widened a bit, but the armor was still solid. As Neonidas swung the second sword, the creature quickly turned and slammed a massive punch into him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Neonidas crashed to the ground, but despite the pain, he quickly recovered. "This isn't working. I need more," he muttered to himself.

The creature, preparing to strike again, was met with a sudden decision from Neonidas to gather all his energy in one spot. Light began to rise from his chest, enveloping his body. Neonidas chuckled to himself. "This either works, or it kills me."

He directed the light energy toward the crack in the creature's armor. The impact created a massive explosion, and the creature was pushed back. A small hole appeared in its armor. Neonidas felt a sense of victory. But just as quickly, the creature lunged forward, and its flame-covered sword stabbed through Neonidas' abdomen, exiting through his back. Unimaginable pain consumed Neonidas, and blood began spurted from his body. He tasted the salty, metallic flavor of his own blood. The last thing he saw was the creature's sinister grin before, in the next moment, Neonidas breathed his last... Yes, Neonidas was truly dead. The creature threw his lifeless body to the ground and took several steps back.

After a while, a light orb hit him from a distance, forcing him to take a defensive stance again. Then another light orb struck his head, followed by another. These light orbs… they came from Neonidas! Yes, the Neonidas who had just died.

"I'm back, baby… We're going to be together for a long time," Neonidas shouted, glancing at his shattered body, the one he had just left behind.

"Your mental health isn't too bad, kid. I hope you can manage to entertain me," the creature said as it lunged toward Neonidas.

Near the capital, there was a dungeon, and the reward for overcoming it was a sword more powerful than average. But for Neonidas, the real reward was the punishment itself. Anyone who answered the riddles wrong in this dungeon would face the spirit of a nearly thousand-year-old, extremely powerful demon. The punishment was to be killed by this demon ten thousand times. No human could survive being killed ten thousand times without losing their sanity, and even those with the strongest mental health would eventually lose their grip on reality.

In other words, this punishment was one that would drive a person insane 99% of the time. But in this world, there was only one person who would not lose their mental health after emerging from this punishment, and that person was none other than Neonidas. Neonidas had knowingly accepted this punishment, planning to close the gap in experience and ability between himself and the other extremely powerful characters by fighting this demon. So, in reality, this punishment was his greatest reward. It was the key to his rise.

Yeah, Neonidas was the kind of person who was crazy enough to accept dying ten thousand times in order to grow stronger.