Surviving without God

This raised countless questions for Brody, but there was no other choice.

“I’ll explain everything later.”

“I feel like I’ve been possessed by demons... There’s no way to understand this with common sense, and I’m dying to grab Gunther by the throat and shake every explanation out of him right now! But fine, I get it. Just promise you’ll keep your word.”

With that, she deciphered the cipher Gunther had left in the previous life and handed the result to him. The current location of the owner of the hidden cultivation technique, and clues regarding the Society of Forgotten Books.

“...Done.”

Gunther engraved the information into his memory. He would not have to trouble her anymore.

“Well then, time to think.”

Fortunately, the save point this time was not so bad. There was still an entire day left before the visit of the Table Companions. He had feared being trapped by another brutal deadline like in the Labyrinth, but in this cycle he finally had time to calmly carry out his plan.

In the end, the essence of this seventeenth life came down to a single thing.

“To die at the hands of someone whose power rivals the strongest in this world.”

Faces of numerous powerful figures currently in the Border City flashed through Gunther’s mind. The candidate was almost already decided, but imagining possibilities was always a pleasant and useful exercise. Several factors had to be considered.

First—accessibility.

How easy would it be to approach them? It would be infuriating if he were killed by some insignificant guard. Mayor Michela, the Labyrinth Clan, the city councilors... Most influential figures of the Upper City were eliminated by this criterion.

Second—degree of closeness.

Characters who were friendly or could become friendly in the future had to be excluded. Now that the affinity inheritance system had been unlocked, touching them would be equivalent to boycotting the future scenario. Thus Grand Crow, Jedriel, and other powerful members of Night Raven were excluded.

Third—sufficient power.

This hardly needed explanation. To obtain a cheat-level ability that might never be obtainable again, the opponent had to be overwhelmingly strong.

Fourth—time.

Could he reach them within today? No matter how attractive the target was, if he could not reach them there was no point.

After filtering through all conditions, the list of candidates quickly shrank.

At last Gunther made his decision.

“In the end... there’s no one but him.”

The first thought that came to mind was usually the correct answer. Clutching the map in his hand, he immediately headed toward the target.

***

Gunther clearly remembered the moment when information about the hidden cultivation technique “Flame of Eternal Torment” first appeared in the community.

A mythical-rank technique available already in the first act! The appearance of such a secret trump card capable of solving the game’s absurd difficulty shook the entire community.

Anonymous01: Well yeah, without tricks like this how would anyone reach the true ending?

Anonymous02: Luthien cultists, you’re finished. Prepare yourselves.

Anonymous03: Reinstalling the game right now.

People believed with absolute conviction that the Flame of Eternal Torment was the key to the true ending.

“After all, back then no one had ever seen the true ending.”

But this was .

Months passed, yet among the enormous number of players not a single one managed to obtain the Flame of Eternal Torment.

First of all, finding the correct NPC was monstrous. His spawn point was random, and the only clue was the description: “a beggar in a worn hood.” In the Lower City alone there were thousands of such characters, turning the search itself into hell.

Moreover, once Act 2 began he vanished without a trace. There was only one chance—in Act 1. Players had to juggle the intense opening scenario while constantly searching, paying a tremendous price for it.

“If you didn’t find him, you might as well delete your save.”

Suppose someone somehow found him after a bloody grind. The real problems started afterward.

Anonymous01: Has this old man lost his mind? What a personality lol.

Anonymous02: You mean his quests can be done alongside the scenario? That’s impossible!

Anonymous03: Reminds me of volunteering at a train station helping homeless people...

The conditions for raising affinity were absurdly harsh. Ridiculous errands and capricious demands. Only after enduring all that suffering did the technique transfer begin.

But even that was not the real game.

Anonymous01: My character just died from shock during practice, what the hell?

Anonymous02: It said my body wasn’t compatible and I exploded? Where did my 130 hours go?!

Anonymous03: Hahaha “exploded” literally means exploded like a bomb, you guys are insane.

Unlike other techniques, the Flame of Eternal Torment was a brutal demonic art that caused death if attempted without prior preparation. In a game where one death erased the save file, this was truly barbaric. Most players simply threw their mouse at the wall.

And yet the veterans did not give up.

After hundreds and thousands of attempts they gradually uncovered the necessary conditions—pure cultivation techniques, heart modification, special anesthetics, and more. After enduring that insane cycle of experimentation, they finally opened the path to success.

And the result of the completed Flame of Eternal Torment was—

“Impressive enough to repay every past suffering in an instant.”

Gunther looked confidently at the old beggar sitting before him.

The man was wrapped head to toe in old rags, yet even in the darkness the horrific burn scars covering his body were clearly visible.

There was no doubt.

This man was the sole successor of the Flame of Eternal Torment.

“...I asked who you are.”

At the old man’s hoarse voice Gunther gave the answer he had prepared in advance.

“I come from the Society of the Holy Flame.”

......

......

Those words instantly condemned him to death.

The old man stared at Gunther silently for a long time. When the tension stretched to its limit began turning into boredom, he slowly stood up.

Crack!

Stiff joints moved, and an ominous cracking sound split the silence. The old man slowly lowered his hood.

Rustle—

The face revealed beneath was twisted and ruined. Tiny sparks flickered inside the melted eye sockets.

“And you dare speak that name in front of me...”

With those words the air changed. The temperature began to rise, and the snow beneath their feet started releasing thick steam.

“...As expected. He’s going to kill me.”

In truth this old man, like other key characters, possessed a complex backstory. Depending on the scenario he could become a loyal ally or a mortal enemy.

Gunther’s original plan had been to slowly increase affinity, officially become his disciple, and obtain the technique.

But in this life the old man’s role was limited to that of executioner.

Since this encounter was destined to end in death, Gunther used an ability that could only be used once per life.

[Reading the second King of Flame — “Zakhar Mordecai”]

In that instant countless fragments of information flashed through Gunther’s mind.

Rustle—

Zakhar extended a hand like a dry branch. Flames burst from his ruined fingertips, aiming at Gunther like the tongue of a living creature.

Even though the god he once contracted had long abandoned him, and the cultivation technique had gone out of control, leaving only a half-destroyed body—

“Leave.”

Even his decaying remains were a living furnace.

That was more than enough to incinerate a human being.

Boom!

The temperature skyrocketed. The stone floor beneath their feet glowed red, and the air boiled.

Fwoom!

Just as Gunther expected, the pain did not last long.

In this hell where everything turned into crimson embers, human flesh could not endure even a moment.

Fwooo—

Only white ash remained, scattered by the wind.

The old man lay down again.

.

.

.

Clink!

[You have died]

[Calculating death records]

[17/99]

And finally the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) long-awaited message appeared.

[The favor of ◆ activates]

— By passing through death, you inherit part of the power of your killer.

[Your killer: Zakhar Mordecai]

[The power that the second King of Flame, Zakhar Mordecai, honed throughout his life is transferred to you]

***

“Gunther? Gunther, can you hear me?”

A worried voice echoed in his ears. But he could not answer. Because of the heat rising to his throat he could not speak—he could barely breathe.

“Gunther? Are you okay? Oh God... his temperature suddenly shot up...”

The anxious face blurred.

In the end I gave up trying to rise and stared at the endless stream of message logs. The most important part was this:

Clink!

[Skill acquired! “Flame of Eternal Torment”]

[Through inheritance of an unknown power you have reached Level 2 of Flame of Eternal Torment]

The Flame of Eternal Torment was a cultivation technique born from absolute resolve, refined by a genius who had lost everything to the Theocracy.

He subdued the flames while carrying endless revenge and despair, nurturing fire through countless nights as his own body burned.

The flame born this way was not merely fire—it was the embodiment of a vow to burn ten thousand calamities.

— Fire attribute attack power greatly increased.

— Fire resistance greatly increased.

— Certain probability to ignore enemy elemental resistance.

— When attacking Abyss enemies, additional damage and the effect “Purification” is applied.

[New Skill]

You can control the “Crimson Flame”.

※ Warning: Your body is not prepared for the technique “Flame of Eternal Torment”. Heat exceeding the capacity of your vessel is consuming your flesh.

[Stat Changes]

Health –22

Strength –27

Agility –25

Magic +15

[The resentment and oath of the old man take root within you, burning your flesh]

[Status effect “Internal Combustion” has occurred: if not controlled within 12 hours, you will die from “spontaneous ignition”]

Internal Combustion.

That was the name of the pain tearing his insides apart.

“Huh? Hey, look.”

“Huh? The boss collapsed!”

“Boss!”

Chaos erupted around him. Roanna, Eddie, and the others who had been training nearby rushed over.

I threw a short order to Eddie.

“Cover me...!”

Immediately I began whispering the formulas of the Art of the Pure Heart, trying to guide the mana.

But two problems struck me at once.

First, the magic that had increased by fifteen points surged like a torrent. My body trembled from the excess power that was difficult to restrain even with sheer will.

Second, the nature of the mana itself had completely changed.

The smooth current was gone—now it rushed forward like raging fire.

Boom boom boom!

The flame power racing through my veins was too violent to suppress.

Roanna shrieked.

“Hey hey hey, brother! Smoke’s coming out of your head!”

“Roanna! Bring a bucket of water!”

“But... if this keeps up, all his hair will fall out!”

...Everyone around panicked.

But I alone remained calm.

Of course.

As a player, I had always taken the Flame of Eternal Torment as my favorite secret trump card. I knew this would happen.

“From the start, this was never a power that could be completely suppressed with something like a Level 2 Art of the Pure Heart.”

...Unless someone with far more delicate control and experience guided the mana.

“Are you ready?”

[The King of Knights of Ninety-Nine Defeats nods]

Good.

Time to begin the first stage of adapting to the Flame of Eternal Torment.

Clink!

[You offer “100” Karma to the King of Knights of Ninety-Nine Defeats]