“No, Master. You can’t merge them yet. You need to merge Mana and Nether first before attempting to merge these two forces. They’re opposites, and you must be cautious,” Manas warned.
“Mm… I understand. But I’ll have to deal with it after I fix the problem with my soul,” Aengus replied, gazing into the distance.
He could feel the Heart of Light pulsing within him, keeping its distance from the Heart of Darkness. Now, he had two hearts, two opposite forces. The Heart of Light granted him basic control over light elements—healing, speed amplification, attack boosts, and purification—exactly the opposite of the Heart of Darkness, which was more destructive.
It made him feel an inner conflict. The Heart of Light urged him toward benevolence and protection, while the Heart of Darkness tempted him toward darker, more self-serving actions.
Suddenly, a notification appeared before him.
[ You have received a chance to equip a new class: Hero ]
[Do you want to equip it?]
[Yes / No]
A Hero class?
It seemed interesting and fitting, especially with the Heart of Light. But his Heart of Darkness resisted the idea, rejecting the heroic path with disdain.
Aengus felt his annoyance grow. “Just wait, you two. You’ll both be gone once I fix myself,” he muttered to his hearts.
He dismissed the notification for now, knowing he could choose the class whenever he wanted.
Besides, classes had begun to feel meaningless to him—he already had what most classes offered: stats boosts, special skills, and powers far beyond what a typical class could provide.
That didn’t mean he didn’t want a class, but the current one wasn’t appealing to him.
Aengus glanced one last time at the spot where Valen had been, then turned away and continued his journey. The closer he got to the Trial Ground, the more his hunger grew, gnawing at him with each step.
He stopped at a few places along the way, refilling his supplies and energy when necessary. The beasts and monsters he encountered grew stronger, more formidable than those he had faced earlier, but he dispatched them efficiently, storing their remains in his Dimensional Space.
With his enhanced speed and vast energy reserves, Aengus pressed on for several hours until the sun began to set over the horizon, casting a golden glow over the land.
As the sky darkened, he decided it was time to rest. He found a secluded spot on a tree branch, settled down, and allowed himself a moment of quiet. He needed to recover his mana and calm his chaotic soul.
He began a meditation session, focusing on the turbulence within, trying to regain control over the conflicting forces that raged inside him.
Aengus closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he immersed himself in the flow of mana and nether around him. The quiet hum of nature soothed his mind, yet the discord between the Heart of Light and Heart of Darkness was ever-present, each pulling him in opposite directions.
Suppressing them, he reached deeper into his enigmatic soul, which was an anomaly beyond comprehension for his tiny mind.
He wanted to understand the mystery behind its destruction and uncover his true identity.
As he delved deeper, he had a vision where he saw endless void-like dimensions spreading in all directions, and a clash between two powerful beings, opposing forces beyond his understanding.
One was purely destructive, while the other was the epitome of holiness. Their clash shook all dimensions apart, scattering them from their invisible bindings.
The two beings were gone, leaving nothing but an empty void.
“Shua!”
After who knows how long, his meditation session was interrupted by the sudden presence of a powerful force nearby.
When Aengus opened his eyes, it was already morning. The sounds of birds chirping and the growls of monsters reached his ears.
Looking below, he spotted a dinosaur-like monster moving toward him, its gigantic head about to clash with the tree he sat in.
Aengus noticed the creature’s eyes were red and unfocused, as if someone was controlling it from afar.
Using his Appraisal eyes, Aengus confirmed that the monster was under mind control.
Quickly gathering purification light, Aengus formed a large, glowing ball and enveloped the monster in a cocoon, attempting to free it from the mind control. At that time, he didn’t even know why was he doing this.
As expected, the creature’s eyes soon returned to normal. It let out a roar and, sensing Aengus’s intimidating aura, turned away and fled in a different direction.
Aengus watched the monster retreat from the treetop, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Why did I help it? Was it because of the Heart of Light?” he muttered.
But, oddly, he didn’t feel bad about it. He had started to feel emotions again, emotions that relaxed the heaviness within him.
However, an excess of benevolence still remained—the urge to sacrifice for humanity, to serve the gods, to kill demons, and obliterate the Demon Land. Such thoughts lingered.
“I need to find balance between these two forces, and quickly,” Aengus thought, before leaping gracefully from the tree to another, as agile as a monkey.
The rugged terrain below shifted as Aengus leaped from tree to tree, cold winds slicing against his skin like sharp blades.
Ahead, he noticed several towering monsters moving in the same direction he was heading. Their eyes were glazed over, similar to the dinosaur-like creature from earlier—controlled by some distant force.
Suddenly, a cry pierced the air.
“Ah, help!”
Aengus glanced over and saw a boy being swallowed whole by a massive beast, its jaws closing with a sickening gulp.
For a moment, his gaze lingered, and the restlessness inside him flared. But he turned his head away, suppressing the urge to act.
As he continued further, he spotted more humans—hunters—fighting desperately against the monsters, forming small, struggling groups to defend themselves.
Aengus landed on the ground with a graceful leap, a flash of light following his descent. The path ahead seemed clearer, with only some scattered hills and rocks.
The sight of him immediately caught the attention of a few hunters, their expressions a mix of desperation and hope. They eyed him warily at first, but as they saw the soft glow of sacred light around him, their fear turned into something else—reverence.
“Hero, please help us!” one of them cried out, his voice filled with pleading urgency.
The group had mistaken Aengus for a Hero, dazzled by the light power radiating from him.
Aengus paused, feeling the weight of their expectation. For a moment, he considered walking away, but something in him—perhaps the Heart of Light—urged him to stay.
