Chapter 296: Existence Extinction

The air in the containment room of the Abyss Research Center was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out.

Luo En stood before the display stand, his gaze falling on a memory crystal that was deep purple-black throughout.

This crystal was completely different from all the samples he had seen before.

The energy flow inside it formed an extremely complex multi-layered spiral structure.

Each layer of the spiral was pulsing at a different frequency, like a miniature universe breathing slowly.

What was unsettling was that just gazing at this memory crystal for more than a few seconds would produce a peculiar sense of dizziness.

That was not ordinary visual fatigue, but a deeper level of cognitive confusion.

Consciousness was being slowly dragged by some invisible force, wanting to suck the observer's very existence into it.

"Do you feel it? That subtle 'pulling sensation'?"

Youteer's phantom projection slowly condensed in the containment room.

Today he appeared even more solid than usual, a rare seriousness showing through the silver light:

"This is the protagonist of today's lesson."

Luo En nodded slightly, simultaneously activating perception skills like 'Extraordinary Identification' and 'Hunt Evil' without a sound.

The sensing was very weak; that feeling was as if what was contained within was not evil or danger, but some kind of more essential 'nothingness.'

"The owner of the memory was a veteran explorer named Edmund; he was a bloodline knight and also an experienced Abyss guide."

Youteer's voice carried a kind of indescribable regret:

"Edmund discovered an extremely rare 'Land of Oblivion' deep in the maze; this discovery should have brought some progress to Abyss surveying, but..."

The old professor's phantom dimmed slightly:

"But Edmund never walked out of there. No, to be precise, he never truly 'entered' there."

"Never entered?" Luo En keenly captured this keyword.

"The Land of Oblivion is one of the most mysterious and terrifying places in the Abyss."

Youteer's tone became exceptionally cautious, his phantom swaying slowly in the air:

"These places possess a certain supernatural 'erasure' ability, capable of making existences that come into contact with them disappear completely from reality—note, I am not saying death, but that even their existence is erased."

He paused, the silver light full of deep worry:

"People devoured by it will not only disappear from the real world, but all memories, records, and even historical traces about them will be erased together.

It is as if they had never existed in this world.

If this memory crystal hadn't been solidified and preserved at the last moment, we wouldn't even know that a person named Edmund had ever existed."

Luo En felt a shock in his heart, and a sense of inexplicable unease surged like a tide.

That sense of disharmony that had been bothering him surfaced again.

It was as if something had been forgotten by him; someone's face flashed vaguely at the edge of his memory, yet he could never capture it clearly.

That feeling was just like a word in a dictation test in English class; it was clearly right there, but he always couldn't quite remember it.

"Professor, is this kind of memory erasure... permanent?"

He forced himself to remain calm, but his voice still leaked a hint of tension.

Youteer seemed to notice the subtle change in Luo En's tone, and those silver eyes flickered in the phantom:

"Theoretically, it is permanent and thorough. But there are always some exceptional cases."

His voice became deeper:

"Some wizards with special soul-type talents, or existences possessing special soul anchors, might leave weak traces in the process of memory erasure.

Such traces usually manifest as vague déjà vu, inexplicable feelings of loss, or a kind of distress of 'always feeling like something important has been forgotten.'

But the specific content can no longer be recalled, just like a hole in the brain that can never be filled."

Luo En's pupils shrank slightly.

This description matched the sense of disharmony he had been feeling recently almost perfectly.

If someone really had been devoured, and he had retained a trace of memory because of some reason...

Who would that be?

That name was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't remember it at all.

"Why, do you have similar experiences?"

Youteer's question was like a sharp blade, piercing the most sensitive area in Luo En's heart.

"Just... some vague feelings, maybe I'm overthinking."

Luo En answered cautiously, not expanding in detail.

As a rational researcher, he knew that one should not be swayed by emotions in judgment without solid evidence.

But the unease in his heart was constantly magnifying, like a thunderstorm gradually approaching in the night sky.

"The existence of the Land of Oblivion also proves from another angle that the Supreme Apostles' permission to control the Abyss is far more than we imagined."

Youteer continued, seemingly intentionally changing the subject:

"Although they cannot fully control the entire Abyss, they indeed possess a considerable degree of environmental modification and biological manipulation ability."

The old professor's phantom drifted forward a bit, the silver light casting complex light and shadow on the crystal walls of the containment room:

"What is even more worrying is that our recent observation data shows that some originally relatively safe shallow areas have begun to appear exceptionally powerful mutated creatures.

This even includes the legendary 'Chaotic Spirit Monster'—that kind of terrifying existence that theoretically only appears in the extremely deep areas below the seventh layer."

"Chaotic Spirit Monster?"

Luo En's attention was attracted by this somewhat familiar noun, and the researcher's instinct made him temporarily suppress the unease in his heart.

"Lady Ailan told me that it is an extremely dangerous high-level Abyssal creature, possessing the ability of random teleportation and local reality distortion."

Hearing this name, Youteer smiled slightly:

"It seems Ailan is indeed very concerned about you; the Chaotic Spirit Monster's attack method is completely unpredictable, capable of appearing behind the target in an instant, and also capable of projecting attacks from past or future time points to the present."

"Its existence will cause the surrounding environment to become unstable; gravity might suddenly disappear, and time flow speed might change randomly."

"Under normal circumstances, due to the layer restrictions of Abyssal energy, Chaotic Spirit Monsters can only survive in extremely deep areas."

The old professor's phantom trembled:

"But if a Supreme Apostle deliberately mobilizes Abyssal energy to artificially create an environment suitable for their survival in shallow areas, theoretically they can indeed drop such monsters into relatively safe areas."

Luo En silently recorded this information, simultaneously analyzing the meaning within in his heart quickly.

If the Supreme Apostles really started to actively create threats, then traditional Abyss exploration strategies might need comprehensive adjustment.

"Now, let's start today's analysis."

Youteer pulled the topic back on track.

Luo En could feel that the old professor's words just now were by no means random chatter:

"The analysis difficulty of this memory crystal is very high; you need to be extra careful. Once you feel any abnormality, especially that feeling of 'existence being diluted,' I will interrupt the link."

Luo En took a deep breath, beginning to adjust his spiritual state.

Carefully extending his spiritual power toward that deep purple memory crystal.

Unlike previous contacts, this contact did not bring any impact or resistance, but instead gave a feeling of exceptional smoothness.

It was as if spiritual power had not hit any substantial obstacle, but slid directly into a void space.

Instantly, a strong sense of spatial distortion swept over, as if the entire consciousness had been dragged into a completely unfamiliar dimension.

The surrounding reality began to become blurry and twisted, just like observing the world through a funhouse mirror.

The scene gradually became clear, revealing a shocking Abyssal scene:

It was a magnificent hall beyond imagination, the towering circular pillars piercing into an invisible dome, each built from some kind of black stone emitting a faint glow.

Luo En had never seen this kind of stone; they seemed capable of absorbing light, but would release a more profound darkness.

The space inside the hall was so vast it was terrifying, as if the entire building existed in an independent spatial dimension.

Most eye-catching was the huge circular stone platform in the center of the hall.

The platform diameter was at least fifty meters, and the height also exceeded ten meters, its surface carved with countless complex runes.

And in the center of the platform, there was a bottomless circular hole, within which surged pure void power.

That was not darkness, nor shadow, but a kind of absolute 'nothingness'—the ultimate void where even light, sound, and even thinking would be swallowed.

The owner of the memory—Edmund—was standing in the edge area of the hall, recording everything before his eyes through a precise magic observation device.

Through his perspective, Luo En could feel that deep fear.

This fear did not come from a specific threat, but an instinctive intuition.

This was a forbidden place that should absolutely not be stepped into, a dangerous place where even existence itself would be questioned.

Edmund was clearly an experienced explorer. He carefully maintained his distance from the stone platform, only conducting observation and recording through remote equipment.

Every movement of his showed a keen sense of smell for danger, never staying in the same position for more than three minutes, and the observation angle was constantly changing.

But even so cautious, the hall's mysterious power still began to have an impact on him.

Luo En could observe that Edmund's body outline began to become blurry, just like an invisible eraser was slowly erasing his existence.

This process was extremely slow, but irreversible.

First his shadow began to fade, then the edges of his clothes became blurry.

Then, Edmund's hand began to become translucent, blood vessels and bones vaguely visible, but the entire palm gave a strange feeling of 'about to not exist.'

What was even more terrifying was that as his body gradually disappeared, Edmund seemed to be gradually forgetting what he was experiencing.

His records became shorter and shorter, his thinking became sluggish, as if even the ability to think was being stripped away bit by bit.

Luo En could hear Edmund's voice in the record gradually becoming hollow:

"Observation record... the... the how many-th time was it?

Where is... what place is this?

Why am I here?

I am... who am I?"

When Edmund's torso also began to become blurry, he had completely forgotten his identity and purpose.

He looked at the observation device in his hand blankly, as if not understanding what this thing was used for.

Finally, when the explorer's head also began to become transparent, the image in the memory crystal interrupted completely.

What remained was only a piece of void darkness, and that absolute silence that made one's heart palpitate.

Luo En carefully cut off the connection with the memory crystal, finding that his back had been completely soaked with cold sweat.

The terrifying experience brought by this analysis far exceeded any previous one.

That process of existence being gradually erased almost made him produce a sense of fear of being there in person.

What was most terrifying was that he actually had a moment during the analysis process where he produced an impulse to walk into that hall.

That impulse was so strong that he almost forgot he was just observing memory, not really standing before the hall.

【Breakthrough! History Research (Entry 50/50) → History Research (Proficient 1/100)】

【Gained additional trait—Induction Power】

【Induction Power: Capable of reproducing scene fragments of specific time points through spiritual power contact with historical traces.

Warning: Excessive use may attract the attention of Time Hounds.】

Accompanied by the breakthrough of the skill, Luo En felt unprecedented perception power awakening.

If the previous 'History Research' skill only allowed him to vaguely feel the time traces on items.

Then after gaining the 'Induction Power' trait now, it gave him a pair of eyes capable of looking directly at history.

He could feel that every item in the room was telling him their respective stories—

How many experiments the display stand had experienced, how many secret meetings the walls of the containment room had witnessed, and even the air was floating with countless residual echoes of historical fragments.

This improvement in perception ability brought strong satisfaction, just like a nearsighted person suddenly wearing perfectly prescribed glasses, the world instantly becoming clear and three-dimensional.

【Historian (Three-Star) Promotion Conditions Updated:

1. Skill-History Research reaches Proficient level

2. Spiritual power reaches above 5.5

3. Successfully peek into a historical event without getting lost

4. Possess sufficient historical knowledge】

"Very excellent analysis, Luo En."

Youteer's approving voice pulled his attention back to reality:

"Being able to observe the memory of the Land of Oblivion completely without being affected by it proves that your history research technique has reached a sufficiently high level.

You were actually able to maintain clear self-cognition when facing that 'existence erasure' threat."

The old professor's phantom brightened a bit, showing his inner satisfaction:

"You must know that even some veteran historians might be affected when analyzing similar memories, producing symptoms of identity cognitive confusion."

"Thank you for your guidance, Professor."

Luo En said sincerely, simultaneously carefully feeling the various changes brought by the skill breakthrough:

"If it weren't for your careful guidance during this period, I couldn't have progressed so quickly."

"Your talent and effort are equally important."

Youteer's phantom swayed gently in the air, silver light rippling like water waves:

"However, if you want to truly become a historian, you still need to complete the final challenge—personally experience a true historical event substitution, rather than through second-hand materials like memory crystals."

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming cautious:

"But considering your previous... unpleasant encounter with Time Hounds, I strongly suggest temporarily postponing this attempt.

At least wait until your strength improves by another level, or master some specialized time protection techniques before considering it."

Luo En nodded in agreement.

As a rational researcher, he knew the danger of acting rashly.

After experiencing the terror of Time Hounds, he was extra cautious about any dangerous operations involving time.

Moreover, he currently had too many other directions that needed development, and temporarily postponing the promotion to historian would not cause too much impact on the overall plan.

"In addition, there is one thing I want to talk to you about alone."

Youteer's phantom became more solid:

"About Cassandra returning soon... I think you need to understand some situations in advance."

Luo En immediately raised his spirits to twelve points.

From Youteer's tone, he could feel some kind of deep worry and unease.

As an ancient existence who had lived for thousands of years, the severity of the matter could be imagined to make Youteer show such obvious worry.

"First, you need to understand one point."

Youteer's voice was low and full of worry:

"Cassandra's return represents a rising radical force within the School Alliance, which we call the 'Conquest Faction' or 'Expansion Faction'."

"She and her followers advocate large-scale conquest of other worlds, treating creatures of other planes as resources for plunder.

The 'Conquest Faction' believes that traditional exploration is too conservative and should take the initiative to establish a so-called 'Wizard Empire'—a multi-dimensional universe order with wizards as the ruling class."

The old professor's voice carried deep worry:

"To achieve this goal, the 'Conquest Faction' supports using all means to improve the overall strength of wizards, including large-scale live experiments, soul trading, and even cooperation with Abyssal Apostles."

"And the traditional faction represented by me, or the 'Balance Faction,' insists that wizards should maintain a relatively balanced relationship with other planes."

Youteer's phantom swayed slowly in the air:

"We worry that excessive plunder will attract joint retaliation from more powerful enemies, and worry that the pollution of exotic ancient gods will fundamentally corrupt the wizard civilization.

We advocate improving strength through knowledge accumulation and natural evolution, rather than relying on forced plunder of external forces."

Luo En listened silently, quickly analyzing the pros and cons of these two concepts in his heart.

From a purely pragmatic perspective, the Conquest Faction's strategy could indeed bring huge benefits in the short term.

But from a long-term consideration, this predatory development was very likely to trigger uncontrollable chain reactions.

"What is the current power comparison within the School Alliance?" he asked.

"About four-six, the Conquest Faction has a slight advantage."

Youteer's answer made Luo En's heart sink:

"Cassandra's strength, which soared through plunder, provided them with strong practical support, and many originally neutral wizards began to lean toward the radical route.

Especially those young formal wizards, they are more easily attracted by the promise of quickly obtaining power."

The old professor paused for a moment, seemingly recalling something:

"Cassandra is actually also a practitioner of 'The Whisper of the Star Eater'."

This information made Luo En surprised, and gave birth to a weird sense of déjà vu.

The same meditation method, the same advancement path...

"Practitioners of the True Path often develop deep resonance with the essence of 'Contemplated Existence'."

Youteer seemed to see Luo En's doubt:

"And for 'The Whisper of the Star Eater,' that kind of never-satisfied desire for devouring, that kind of endless thirst for stronger power, will gradually erode the practitioner's rationality and compassion.

Cassandra is a typical example; her current actions are largely influenced by the primitive will of the 'Devourer'."

His phantom moved closer to Luo En, deep concern showing in his silver eyes:

"This is also the problem I have been worrying about.

As a new generation practitioner of 'The Whisper of the Star Eater,' will you also walk on the same path?

Can you guarantee that you will not be controlled by that kind of primitive devouring impulse?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 297 =====