45. The Extent Of Conflict

Nathanial stared at the number.

[ Enduring Burden Threshold: 99/100 ]

Ninety-nine.

One point.

Just one point, and then he could finally see what his suffering and tenacity had amounted to.

What the lives sacrificed for his survival had amounted to.

As the war went on, Nathanial despised how cruel the entire notion was. Before him were thousands of dead. Lives ripped away from this world in a single heartbeat. He thought back to the scout he had killed.

The one who died with regrets, apologizing as he drew his final breath.

And seeing the dead before him, he wondered how many more had done the same.

How many more sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers had to die on this godforsaken battlefield where honor was smeared in mud and dreams were crushed beneath the weight of the world?

The answer was far too many, and to drive the final nail into the coffin, Nathanial knew that the system he received was merely the beginning. He stared at the golden screen.

If this was the beginning of what was in store for him, then he had no clue how devastating the future would be.

How many lives will be lost if I fail to save the world?

[ There seems to be a misunderstanding. ]

Nathanial narrowed his eyes.

What do you mean?

[ Hundreds of thousands of lives will be lost during your quest. It is not a matter of how many lives will be lost, but how many will remain in the end. ]

Nathanial read those words as knots formed in his chest. He stared at them once more to make sure he fully understood what it meant.

The longer it remained, the heavier it weighed on his soul, and the sheer responsibility of the task finally pressed down on his shoulders. He had expected at most several thousand lives to be lost, with a large portion of them being from the war.

But that wasn’t the case.

In reality, what is the pre-determined outcome of the world? Surely you don’t mean that this war is just one of the many events for the end times?

[ It is merely the prologue to the upcoming new era. An era where strife will be the key catalyst for all major events. ]

Nathanial glanced at the sword strapped to his waist.

Are you saying that even this war isn’t sufficient enough to be the first chapter?

[ That is what makes it terrifying. ]

The golden screen seemed to flicker for a moment as Nathanial raised a brow. For the first time since he’d met the system, he felt genuine fear from its words. A dreadful sensation clung to the back of his neck. As if someone or something had wrapped its pale, ghastly fingers around it through his armor.

[ Humankind would be the first to fall, with nearly the entire population dying out. ]

Nathanial’s eyes immediately shot open.

[ Then the dwarves will fall at the hands of a single individual, and from there, the rest of the information is far too vague. ]

What do you mean it’s too vague?

[ It is difficult to explain. Even I, the messenger, can not fully understand what the system is trying to convey. ]

[ To visualize the concept, imagine you are standing in a space of darkness with thousands of staircases. Some are upside down; others are left to right. All leading to different locations and others nowhere at all. ]

Sounds complicated.

[ It is, but as your actions influence the world—a path will reveal itself. ]

Nathanial listened as the murmurs of the men around him grew tense. He rested a hand on the hilt of his sword and glanced around the area. The wagons lined with injured men staring at the domain, and knights at the ready, were all he needed to see.

His gaze drifted to the golden screen.

Who are our enemies?

[ Even if you know, in your current state, you are not their match. ]

Nathanial scoffed.

I. Don’t. Care. Tell me their names, or at least who they are.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The messenger pondered for a moment, debating whether it would be beneficial to expose the full extent of what awaited the champion in the future. Its information was limited, and to some extent, it only knew what Nathanial knew.

But if Nathanial gained access to knowledge that had yet to reveal itself, perhaps he could discover additional details ahead of time for the messenger to reach diverging conclusions.

[ Your enemies are beings that transcend time. They are damned creatures, born not out of love and warmth but with hatred in their hearts. Concepts that manifested from the vast planes of Hell and rule with their own desires. ]

[ They are Primal Demons, creatures that stand at the apex of their realms. ]

Nathanial felt the chilly wind seep through the gaps in his armor as he read the words. His breath escaped his lungs with disbelief filling his mind.

Primal demons were nothing more than a myth.

Even the Souldom, with all its divinity, had not encountered one in the hundreds of years since its creation. So how would Nathanial be able to understand something that no one had even come face to face with?

He clicked his tongue in frustration.

Had there even been a case of high demons emerging in their world?