Damned Healer

After the Matriarch's verdict, all the soldiers escorted Darian, Tetoya, and Zelkov toward the royal castle. When they entered, Tetoya turned to Darian with a conflicted expression.

"Darian, are you really going to just accept this? Don't be crazy, no one's ever survived even seven days in that place. I'll ask the Matriarch to cancel your agreement."

Even if he was the cause of it all, committing suicide just to take responsibility seemed insanely stupid. Neither she nor anyone else would accept dying that way.

Zelkov clenched his teeth. "Mr. Darian, we should admit our mistake and beg the Matriarch to split the punishment between us three. That's the fairest way."

Both looked determined, so Darian spoke calmly, "No need. To tell the truth, I knew from the start that fish was special. So, I did all this on my own."

They both stared at him speechless. He looked at Zelkov. "Young man, your will is so weak that even the usual three days would be deadly for you."

Then he turned to Tetoya, meeting her eyes. "As for you... I might look like I act randomly, but I always have my own plans. You've met Niara a bit, right? She and I went through a lot together. If we were the kind to act on impulse without thinking, we would've died long ago."

Tetoya cursed furiously, "What's the point of saying all that crap? Does it fix your situation?!"

Darian answered with a faint smile. "It doesn't always fix things, but I always know what I'm doing. I'm not playing with my life, don't worry."

After saying that, he was taken away by the soldiers, alone.

Tetoya and Zelkov were genuinely panicked as they watched him being led away, but they couldn't do anything as long as it was his choice.

A short while later, Darian arrived at a large chamber and was sealed inside.

The room was perfectly square, and the entire interior was pitch black — a kind of darkness that seemed to swallow light itself. Entering there was like diving into a sea of shadows. The air was heavy and thick, and nothing could be clearly seen or felt.

The moment that energy touched him, Darian's expression turned serious. He moved slightly, then sat on the floor and took a deep breath.

That black energy felt strangely familiar. It was very faint and diluted, but... he could feel the strong similarity.

After a few minutes.

'This is celestial corruption!'

He muttered with certainty. It was mixed with Yin and other weaker energies, but it was what controlled and powered that place. Celestial corruption was the power of the Risen Lords from another universe — a corruption of extremely high level — which Howlyn had once taught him to use. (Chapter 171)

It could corrupt the body, and even sensing it from a distance could awaken a person's deepest fears. Even the powerful soldiers who brought him there had turned their backs, not daring to feel what was inside that chamber.

Time passed. One day. Two days. Three days. Four days.

Five days.

The silence was almost absolute. Darian could only hear the beating of his own heart and other faint sounds coming from his body itself.

He was submerged in endless solitude — just himself and his own mind. If a normal person reached that point, their will would collapse quickly. Very few could endure such a thing for long.

Yet Darian stayed there, motionless, as if he had truly entered a meditative state.

Inside the royal family's main hall, Painita, Morion, and other important figures were watching through a mirror, stunned.

"Could the artifact be broken?" Painita's great-granddaughter murmured, shocked.

That place completely ignored personal strength. No matter how powerful someone was — the slightest mental weakness would be infinitely amplified. Negative emotions attacked them, and they could only endure that torment bitterly until the end.

The pain of being trapped alone with your own paranoia was the greatest trial any living being could face. No one could fight themselves, because everything they felt was just a reflection of what they carried within.

That was why, even though meditation was something incredibly beneficial, simple, free, and accessible to any mortal, few had the courage to truly face it — much less in a place where everything was amplified hundreds of times.

"Elder Wizen went in a day earlier. If something was wrong, he would've reported it," another Elder said seriously.

Everyone in that hall had entered that place before. They knew just how hard it was. Every time they came out, they were drained in every sense and needed days to recover.

However, they didn't go in as punishment, but to strengthen their will.

For them, one day might mean nothing. On the second day, things got tough; by the third, they were near their limit. On the fourth day, they'd be one step from death — and on the fifth... only Painita could endure it.

Even she, without using an immortal's power to resist, had a limit of seven days. For a simple human, with only four rings and that young, to endure five days? That was already terrifying.

Yet Darian looked completely relaxed inside. They could feel his calm and peaceful fluctuations through the mirror, leaving everyone stunned.

Suddenly, Painita let out a heavy sigh. Then, with a thoughtful expression, she murmured:

"My daughter was right... that human can't be measured by normal standards."

Inside the dark room.

In his mind, Darian saw a black figure identical to himself staring back at him.

It was him — his form once taken over by dark power — a form that no longer existed.

His soul, however, was far from being anything normal. Its base was black, covered by countless white, pulsing veins. In the center of his chest was a grayish spherical core. On his two arms, the rings — one holding white power and the other black. On his forehead were his four rings of a Spiritual Guardian.

If anyone could actually see his soul, they'd go completely catatonic, unable to understand what he really was.

But there, in front of him, stood his darkest self — the one that had emerged when the Heart Demon took over.

Darian couldn't get rid of him, and inside, the two had been arguing for quite some time.

It was a strange feeling — that figure was him, knew every detail about him, and at the same time... the situation reminded him of the main character from that book he'd once read so much.

The dark figure muttered softly:

"Still pretending to be the good guy, huh? I know exactly what you're feeling. After that immortal bitch and her daughter treated you like that, it's more than clear you don't need to hold back anymore. Just send out a call and use your powers to have those two immortals sneak into this castle. Then you can kill and destroy everything before that immortal bitch even has time to react. It'll all be yours. When Niara wakes up, she'll understand perfectly... or she doesn't deserve you."

Darian snorted. "I've already given up trying to convince you. But why do you have to be like this? Yeah, I feel a bit of anger, but they're not actually evil."

"And who the fuck cares? You're a missionary! At your full power, you could kill even someone above six rings if you're lucky enough. You're really gonna let them dominate us again?" The figure's gaze turned cold and sharp.

Darian sighed. "Man... I am you. And we both know we're not exactly good people. On average, everyone's got some dark karma, and we're no exception. We messed up a lot in the past, so much that we've got direct karma with Heaven's Will — and his wife hates us. But now, in this life, we have to do things differently. This is our one chance to turn it all around. People's nature, at the start, is good. So we can't let the filth of the world corrupt us again."

The cold voice answered, "People's nature is good? What bullshit. Everyone's naturally evil. Before anyone even realizes anything, when they see a beautiful flower, their first instinct is to pluck it and keep it for themselves. When they see a clean wall, their first thought is to stain it. The natural character of everyone is darkness. That's why you feel so comfortable in this dark world full of negative emotions. Yet you keep choosing to walk toward the light. You're not just limiting yourself — you're suppressing yourself. If you just followed your true nature, would living really be this exhausting?"

"Maybe you're right..." Darian snorted. "But... living that way doesn't bring peace or joy to the people around me. I'd just be someone radiating hate and anger nonstop, and no one would want to stay near me for long. What's the point of being invincible and immortal like that? I'd rather follow the longer, harder path... because I've already lived too long on the other side, and I know it leads nowhere."

"Idiot."

The voice snapped dryly, then fell into complete silence.

This time, however, Darian felt something different awakening inside him.

After a few minutes.

"I won't argue anymore. I know exactly what you think and feel. If, for even a moment, you stray from this pathetic principle of yours, I'll come back. And when that day comes, you won't be able to suppress me again. I'll wipe out every trace of love and attachment you have for others — forever. Are you willing to risk that?" the cold voice echoed.

"Sounds good. We've got a deal." Darian replied without hesitation.

...

On the eighth day, the people in the hall, in disbelief, suddenly saw a change.

The darkness twisted before Darian. Then, the shadow of a black figure appeared right in front of him.

In that instant, everyone stood up at once.

The figure moved and vanished, being absorbed by Darian.

Suddenly... the entire image began to shake.

The whole room vibrated, and everyone in the royal castle felt something strange happen.

Then...

Darian opened his eyes.

The natural red was gone, replaced by an abyssal black.

He turned.

"!"

Everyone saw him staring directly at them — through the mirror.

A faint smile curved his lips, and he waved, making the mirror instantly go dark. They couldn't see anything anymore.

"He noticed us."

Everyone was shocked. Inside that place, not even Painita could sense anything around her without using her full power.

"What do we do? Should we open the room?" Morion quickly asked.

Painita thought for a moment before answering, "No. Like I said before... that human can't be measured by normal means. He... doesn't have bad intentions toward us. And besides, it looks like he has his own plans."

The Matriarch spoke, and everyone turned to her, stunned. Her face was tense, and a bead of sweat ran down her forehead.

She had definitely noticed something — but chose not to say it.

Until the tenth day came, and Painita dashed toward the dark chamber like a bolt of lightning.