[: Daniel's POV :]
My eyes darted back and forth between the five celestial tomes, each one thrumming with unfathomable power.
My chest tightened with every breath, my heart pounding as if it wanted to burst free.
Which one…?
I thought, torn between the burning allure of the stars, the boundless dominion of elements, the primordial origin of creation, the annihilating abyss of destruction, and the ineffable infinity that loomed before me.
My fingers trembled as they reached toward the fifth tome—the Script of Infinite.
The instant my skin brushed against its ever-shifting cover, a voice resounded within me, sharp and uncharacteristically urgent.
[: Are you sure, Host, that you wish to pick this one? :]
I froze, my brows furrowing. "Why? What's wrong with this book?"
[: Compared to the other four… this cultivation path is unlike any in existence. The Script of Infinite is the hardest :]
[: It demands resources beyond imagination—hundreds, even thousands of times more than the rest :]
[: The difficulty is not just steep… it is cruel. Even prodigies who blaze through realms would perish under its burden. :]
The words weighed on me like chains.
My chest constricted, and for a fleeting second, I almost pulled my hand away. Almost.
But then a sound slipped from my lips—a chuckle.
Small at first, but steady, growing into something resolute.
My gaze burned as I looked into the shifting infinity before me, my voice steady, unwavering.
"Aren't you here," I whispered, "to help me soar through the sky?"
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
The System went silent. For the first time since I had awakened it, it hesitated.
Not out of calculation, but something else. Something almost… human.
[: …Yes. You're right, Host. :]
And in that instant—just for the briefest heartbeat—I could swear I felt it.
The System is smiling.
I held my breath as my fingers finally closed around the Script of Infinite.
The moment I touched it, the air around me seemed to warp, vibrating with a resonance I could feel deep in my bones.
[: Prepare yourself, Host :]
The System intoned, its voice unusually grave.
"Why?" I asked, my voice steady despite the storm of anticipation thrumming through me.
[: These five books do not merely grant you the power to cultivate, :]
[: They will reshape your very existence. Your bloodline, your physique, your innate talents, even your spiritual roots—all will be rewritten in accordance with the concept each book embodies. :]
I felt a ripple pass through me at its words, as though invisible hands were brushing across every fibre of my being.
[: They will unlock traits beyond comprehension, powers that defy conventional limits. These are not merely manuals for cultivation—they are the embodiment of concepts. :]
I swallowed, heart hammering.
[: You, Host, will become the concept. In this case… the Script of Infinite :]
[: Nothing will limit you. No law, no boundary, no obstacle. But understand this—the process is excruciating. Pain will carve, burn, and reshape every part of your existence. :]
I clenched my fists, the book thrumming against my palm, its energy radiating through me in waves.
A thousand doubts could have stopped me.
A thousand fears could have made me pull back.
But I didn't.
"Then I'll bear it," I said, my voice low but unwavering.
"If this is what it takes… if this is what I must endure to be limitless… I'll endure it."
The System was silent for a moment, the weight of the cosmos itself seeming to pause, acknowledging my resolve.
[: Very well, Host. :]
[: Initiating the process of Infinite Concept Integration. :]
A shiver ran through me as light, energy, and the weight of existence itself began to pour from the Script into me.
I could feel the pain already, subtle at first—a stretching, twisting sensation deep in my blood, bones, and soul—but beneath it was an undeniable exhilaration.
This wasn't just cultivation.
This was a transformation.
This was becoming the embodiment of infinity.
And I welcomed it.
No matter how agonising the path, no matter how shattering the process—I would endure it.
Because beyond the pain, beyond the limits of reality itself, there was only one thing I wanted: to be unbound.
To be infinite.
''Alright, let's merge with it''
[: The system will fuse the host with the concept and book of Script of Infinite :]
[: Progress will begin in 3...2...1 :]
The moment the Script of Infinite began to merge with me, pain unlike anything I had ever imagined ripped through every fibre of my being.
It was immediate, all-consuming, and relentless.
I screamed, a raw, piercing sound that echoed through the cosmic library and beyond.
"Aaaaaaghhh! It… it burns… It's tearing me apart!"
My voice cracked with agony as my body trembled uncontrollably.
Every inch of me felt like it was being unmade.
My bones shattered into dust and reformed, each fragment carved with sacred symbols, burning with a light that seared even behind my eyelids.
[: 1%...10%...:]
My limbs convulsed violently as my muscles tore and reshaped themselves again and again. I shivered, every nerve screaming in protest.
"Ughhh… my veins… my blood… it's… it's… changing!"
I gasped, feeling molten fire coursing through my veins.
Blood poured from my pores, yet new golden blood flowed in an endless river, regenerating faster than I could comprehend.
[: 20%...30% :]
My body shook so violently that I fell to my knees, fists clawing at the floor as waves of pain ripped through me.
Even my organs weren't spared.
My heart—my heart!—felt like it had been crushed in a cosmic vice, then reassembled into something that pulsed with the rhythm of galaxies.
"No… no… not my heart! Ughhhhhh!" I screamed, my voice ragged and raw, shivering uncontrollably as if every cell was rebelling.
And then my soul… oh, my soul… It was being torn, shredded, and stretched across infinity. Concepts of creation, destruction, and boundless existence were carved into me.
[: 40%...50%...:]
I howled, trembling with every fibre of my being. "Aaaarghhh! I… I can't… It's too much!"
My body continued to convulse, shiver, and spasm, caught in a storm of pain beyond mortal understanding.
[: 60%...70%...:]
"I… won't… stop! I… will… survive… I…"
My voice was breaking, my mind faltering, yet I forced myself to keep clinging to consciousness, letting the agony carve me into something else—something infinite.
Every scream, every shiver, every tear of flesh and soul was reshaping me.
My bones, muscles, veins, organs, and even my soul were becoming something far beyond anything human—something divine, infinite.
[: 80%...90%...:]
I was no longer just Daniel. I was infinite.
Even as the pain reached levels that made me want to scream forever, I bit back another cry and whispered through clenched teeth, trembling uncontrollably.
"I… am… not… breaking… I… will… become… INFINITE!"
[: 100% :]
[: Congratulations, the merged has been successful :]