Three weeks had passed since Eugene's record-breaking solo clear of the Corrupted Foundry, and his reputation had spread far beyond Armenia's borders. The Hunter Association's databases now classified him as a "Person of Interest"—a polite way of saying they weren't entirely sure what to do with someone whose power seemed to defy conventional measurement.
Eugene stood in the briefing room of the Armenian Hunter Association headquarters, his amaranth eyes scanning the holographic display that showed a three-dimensional map of Georgia. His red hair was pulled back in its characteristic ponytail, and despite the early morning hour, his poker face remained perfectly composed.
"The situation is unprecedented," Director Hovhannisyan explained, gesturing to the pulsing red dot near Tbilisi. "This gate appeared four days ago, but it's unlike anything we've encountered before. It's not just a B-Class or A-Class—our instruments can't get a proper reading."
Eugene's beast-like irises contracted slightly as he studied the data. The gate's energy signature was chaotic, fluctuating between classifications in a pattern that suggested something far more complex than a standard dungeon.
"Georgian authorities requested international assistance," the Director continued. "Specifically, they requested you."
"Interesting." Eugene's voice carried that unsettling resonance that had become his trademark. "What makes this gate so special that it requires my particular attention?"
**[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]**
**New Quest Available: The Cleansing**
**Objective: Clear the Dimensional Anomaly in Georgia**
**Difficulty: Unknown**
**Warning: Standard Classifications May Not Apply**
**Reward: Significant Power Enhancement**
Director Hovhannisyan pulled up additional files. "The gate has been... contaminated. Three separate raid teams have entered over the past four days. None have returned. What's more concerning is that the gate's energy output has been increasing with each failed attempt."
Eugene's expression didn't change, but internally his mind was already calculating possibilities. A gate that grew stronger by consuming hunters was either a completely new phenomenon or something ancient that had been dormant until now.
"Georgian Hunter Association's assessment?" he asked.
"They believe it's some form of corrupted dungeon—possibly connected to historical sites in the region. There are rumors of old magical practices, pre-Christian rituals that might have influenced the dimensional formation."
Eugene nodded slowly. Georgia's magical history was complex, with layers of different traditions that had evolved over millennia. If those influences had somehow contaminated a modern gate...
"I'll need complete autonomy once I cross the border," Eugene stated. "No backup, no oversight, no predetermined timeline."
"Mr. Sushiyanse, I understand your capabilities are exceptional, but—"
"Director," Eugene interrupted, his amaranth eyes beginning to glow faintly, "either you trust my judgment, or you don't. Half-measures in this situation will only result in more casualties."
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, and Director Hovhannisyan found himself stepping back involuntarily. There was something about Eugene's presence that made even experienced hunters uncomfortable—not fear exactly, but the recognition that they were in the presence of something that operated by entirely different rules.
"Of course. Full autonomy it is."
**[QUEST ACCEPTED]**
**[Travel Preparation Phase Initiated]**
**[Recommended Equipment: Environmental Adaptation Gear]**
**[Warning: Unknown Hazards Detected]**
The flight to Tbilisi took four hours, during which Eugene spent his time in meditation, carefully managing his mana reserves and reviewing everything he had learned about nihility sphere energy since his awakening. The Transcendence ability had proven both powerful and costly—he would need to use it more strategically in an unknown environment.
**[VOID MASTERY ANALYSIS]**
**Current Efficiency: 73%**
**Projected Improvement: +15% with Focused Practice**
**Reality Anchor Status: Untested in Combat**
The system's passive analysis confirmed what Eugene already suspected—his powers were still developing, adapting to his understanding and experience. Each encounter taught him something new about the fundamental nature of his abilities.
Shota Rustaveli Airport was bustling with activity when Eugene arrived, but he was met by a small delegation from the Georgian Hunter Association. Their leader, a weathered man in his fifties named Giorgi Beridze, had the bearing of someone who had seen too much combat.
"Mr. Sushiyanse," Beridze greeted him in accented English. "Thank you for coming. The situation has... deteriorated since we sent the request."
Eugene's poker face remained intact as they walked through the terminal. "Define 'deteriorated.'"
"The gate's energy output increased by another 30% overnight. We've had to evacuate a three-kilometer radius around the site. Whatever's inside that dungeon, it's becoming more active."
As they drove through Tbilisi's winding streets toward the affected area, Eugene observed the city's unique blend of ancient and modern architecture. The juxtaposition reminded him of Armenia's own complex history—layers of civilization built upon older foundations, each leaving its mark on the collective consciousness of the region.
"Tell me about the historical significance of the area," Eugene requested.
Beridze glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "You think that's relevant?"
"Everything is potentially relevant when dealing with dimensional anomalies."
"The site is near the ruins of an old temple complex. Pre-Christian, possibly Zoroastrian influences mixed with older traditions. Local folklore speaks of it as a place where the barriers between worlds were always thin."
Eugene's amaranth eyes flickered with interest. "And now a gate has appeared in the same location. That's not a coincidence."
As they approached the cordoned area, Eugene could feel it—a wrongness in the air that made his supernatural senses recoil. This wasn't just a gate; it was a wound in reality itself, infected and festering.
The gate stood in a clearing surrounded by ancient stone foundations, its surface rippling with colors that shouldn't exist. Unlike normal gates, which maintained relatively stable energy patterns, this one pulsed with chaotic fluctuations that seemed almost alive.
"Forty-three hunters entered over four days," Beridze explained as they stood at the perimeter. "Teams from Georgia, Turkey, even a specialist squad from Germany. All experienced, all well-equipped. None returned."
Eugene studied the dimensional rift with his enhanced perception. The energy signature was unlike anything in his experience—part technological gate construction, part something far older and more primal.
**[DIMENSIONAL ANOMALY DETECTED]**
**Classification: UNIQUE**
**Threat Level: EXTREME**
**Contamination Source: Unknown**
**Recommendation: Exercise Maximum Caution**
"Has anyone tried to analyze the contamination?" Eugene asked.
"Our best theorists believe it's some form of magical resonance between the modern gate technology and whatever power was concentrated here historically. The two forces are feeding off each other, creating something new."
Eugene nodded slowly. It made sense from a theoretical perspective—magic often followed unexpected pathways when different systems interacted. But theory and practice were very different things.
"I'll need the area completely cleared for the next twenty-four hours," Eugene stated. "No observers, no monitoring equipment, no backup stationed nearby."
Beridze looked uncomfortable. "Mr. Sushiyanse, surely some level of support—"
"Would only provide additional targets for whatever's inside." Eugene's voice carried absolute certainty. "This contamination feeds on magical energy. The presence of other hunters would only make it stronger."
As the Georgian team reluctantly withdrew to a safe distance, Eugene found himself alone with the anomalous gate. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the ancient stone foundations, and for a moment, he could almost see the layers of history that had accumulated here—centuries of rituals, prayers, and desperate attempts to touch something beyond the mundane world.
**[SOLITUDE ACHIEVED]**
**[ENHANCED ANALYSIS AVAILABLE]**
**[CONTAMINATION PATTERN IDENTIFIED]**
**Pattern Type: Recursive Energy Loop**
**Effect: Power Amplification Through Consumption**
**Weakness: Dependent on External Magical Input**
Eugene's lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. The system's analysis confirmed his suspicions—this contamination was essentially a magical parasite, growing stronger by feeding on the hunters who entered the gate. But parasites, by definition, required hosts to survive.
What would happen if the host was something the parasite couldn't digest?
Nihility sphere energy was, fundamentally, the absence of magical force. It didn't provide power for parasitic entities to consume—it removed the very concept of consumable energy from local reality.
**[STRATEGY FORMULATED]**
**[WARNING: APPROACH CARRIES SIGNIFICANT RISK]**
**[TRANSCENDENCE AVAILABILITY: FULL]**
Eugene approached the gate slowly, his amaranth eyes beginning to glow with inner light. As he drew closer, he could feel the contamination reaching out to him, probing at his magical signature like hungry tentacles.
Let it probe. Let it try to understand what it was dealing with.
The surface of the gate rippled more violently as Eugene reached out to touch it. The moment his fingers made contact, reality lurched around him, and he found himself falling through layers of corrupted space-time.
**[ENTERING ANOMALOUS DIMENSION]**
**[STANDARD PARAMETERS DO NOT APPLY]**
**[SURVIVAL PRIORITY PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED]**
Eugene landed in what appeared to be a vast cathedral, but one built from materials that hurt to look at directly. The walls seemed to be constructed from crystallized screams, and the floor was a mosaic of memories stolen from the minds of the consumed hunters.
At the center of the space, a massive entity waited for him—not quite alive, not quite dead, but something that existed in the spaces between those concepts. It had been feeding on the magical energy of the hunters for days, growing more complex and aware with each meal.
"ANOTHER OFFERING," it spoke in a voice composed of dozens of overlapping tones—the final words of everyone it had consumed. "YOUR POWER WILL MAKE ME COMPLETE."
Eugene studied the creature with clinical detachment. It was impressive in its own way—a successful fusion of ancient hunger and modern magical theory. But it had made one critical error in its assessment.
"You're mistaken," Eugene replied calmly. "I'm not here to feed you."
"ALL WHO ENTER FEED ME. ALL BECOME PART OF THE GREAT CONSUMPTION."
Eugene raised his right hand, and nihility sphere energy began to manifest around him. But this time, instead of creating discrete spheres, he allowed the energy to flow freely through the space, filling the cathedral with the fundamental absence of existence.
The creature's confidence wavered as it realized what it was trying to consume. Nihility wasn't food—it was anti-food. Every attempt to drain Eugene's power only introduced more nothingness into the creature's being.
"Impossible," it whispered, its voice losing coherence as void energy began to unravel its stolen memories and accumulated power.
"No," Eugene corrected, his poker face perfect even as he prepared to end this abomination. "Just mathematics. You are a positive value attempting to consume a negative. The result is predictable."
**[TRANSCENDENCE ACTIVATED]**
**[DURATION: 20 MINUTES]**
**[EFFECT: REALITY MANIPULATION ENHANCED]**
With his enhanced perception, Eugene could see the entire structure of the contaminated dimension—how it had formed, how it sustained itself, and most importantly, how to dismantle it completely. The creature had been clever, using the ancient magical resonances of the site to amplify its power, but it had built its entire existence on a flawed foundation.
Eugene began to weave nihility through the dimensional framework itself, not destroying it but purifying it. Where his void energy passed, the contamination dissolved, leaving behind clean magical constructs that matched the site's original spiritual purpose.
The creature fought back, throwing waves of corrupted power and borrowed abilities from the hunters it had consumed. But each attack only accelerated its dissolution as Eugene's void energy consumed the stolen magical signatures and returned them to nothingness.
"WHAT ARE YOU?" the creature demanded as its form began to collapse.
"I am the space between spaces," Eugene answered, his amaranth eyes now blazing with transcendent power. "I am the absence that makes presence possible. And you are an equation that doesn't balance."
The final confrontation lasted less than a minute in real time, but Eugene experienced it as an extended lesson in applied magical theory. He learned how dimensional contamination spread, how ancient powers could be perverted by modern techniques, and most importantly, how his own abilities could be used not just to destroy but to restore.
When the light faded and the cathedral of crystallized screams dissolved into clean, empty space, Eugene found himself standing in a purified pocket dimension. The malevolent presence was gone, consumed by its own hunger when fed a diet of perfect nothingness.
**[ANOMALY NEUTRALIZED]**
**[CONTAMINATION PURGED]**
**[DIMENSIONAL STABILITY RESTORED]**
**[QUEST COMPLETED: THE CLEANSING]**
**[MASSIVE EXPERIENCE GAINED]**
**[LEVEL UP! LEVEL UP! LEVEL UP!]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 28]**
**[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: DIMENSIONAL PURIFICATION]**
**[TITLE EVOLUTION: ARCANE SOVEREIGN → VOID SOVEREIGN]**
**[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: CLEANSER OF WORLDS]**
Eugene allowed himself a moment of satisfaction as he reviewed the notifications. The system was clearly impressed with his performance, providing rewards that reflected not just victory but the manner of that victory. Purification rather than destruction—it demonstrated a level of control and understanding that apparently merited special recognition.
The exit portal materialized before him, leading back to the stone circle where he had entered. As Eugene stepped through, he found the Georgian team waiting nervously at their perimeter positions.
The gate behind him collapsed in on itself with a sound like reality sighing in relief, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air that quickly faded to nothing.
"It's done," Eugene announced, his poker face intact despite the magnitude of what he had just accomplished.
Giorgi Beridze approached cautiously, his instruments detecting the sudden absence of the chaotic energy that had plagued the site for days. "The readings... they're completely normal. Better than normal, actually. It's like the area has been... cleaned."
"An accurate assessment," Eugene replied. "The contamination has been permanently removed. The site should be stable for future gate formations, assuming proper precautions are taken."
As they drove back toward Tbilisi, Eugene's thoughts turned to the implications of what he had learned. His abilities weren't just destructive—they were corrective. He could undo magical corruption, restore dimensional stability, even purify locations that had been tainted by centuries of dark practice.
It was a realization that would reshape his understanding of his own purpose. He wasn't just the Grand Mage of Armenia—he was becoming something that could cleanse the magical world of its accumulated corruption.
**[SYSTEM ANALYSIS COMPLETE]**
**[NEW CATEGORY UNLOCKED: RESTORATION MAGIC]**
**[SYNERGY DETECTED: Nihility + Restoration = Perfect Balance]**
**[RECOMMENDATION: Seek Additional Cleansing Opportunities]**
Eugene's amaranth eyes gleamed with interest as he read the system's analysis. If there were other sites like the one in Georgia—places where ancient power had been corrupted by modern magical practice—then he had found his true calling.
The world was full of dimensional wounds that needed healing. And Eugene Sushiyanse, the Void Sovereign, was exactly the right tool for the job.
As the lights of Tbilisi came into view, Eugene was already planning his next move. There were reports of anomalous gates in Turkey, strange magical disturbances in the Balkans, and rumors of corrupted ley lines running through ancient sites across Europe.
The cleansing had only just begun.
##
Three weeks had passed since Eugene's record-breaking solo clear of the Corrupted Foundry, and his reputation had spread far beyond Armenia's borders. The Hunter Association's databases now classified him as a "Person of Interest"—a polite way of saying they weren't entirely sure what to do with someone whose power seemed to defy conventional measurement.
Eugene stood in the briefing room of the Armenian Hunter Association headquarters, his amaranth eyes scanning the holographic display that showed a three-dimensional map of Georgia. His red hair was pulled back in its characteristic ponytail, and despite the early morning hour, his poker face remained perfectly composed.
"The situation is unprecedented," Director Hovhannisyan explained, gesturing to the pulsing red dot near Tbilisi. "This gate appeared four days ago, but it's unlike anything we've encountered before. It's not just a B-Class or A-Class—our instruments can't get a proper reading."
Eugene's beast-like irises contracted slightly as he studied the data. The gate's energy signature was chaotic, fluctuating between classifications in a pattern that suggested something far more complex than a standard dungeon.
"Georgian authorities requested international assistance," the Director continued. "Specifically, they requested you."
"Interesting." Eugene's voice carried that unsettling resonance that had become his trademark. "What makes this gate so special that it requires my particular attention?"
**[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]**
**New Quest Available: The Cleansing**
**Objective: Clear the Dimensional Anomaly in Georgia**
**Difficulty: Unknown**
**Warning: Standard Classifications May Not Apply**
**Reward: Significant Power Enhancement**
Director Hovhannisyan pulled up additional files. "The gate has been... contaminated. Three separate raid teams have entered over the past four days. None have returned. What's more concerning is that the gate's energy output has been increasing with each failed attempt."
Eugene's expression didn't change, but internally his mind was already calculating possibilities. A gate that grew stronger by consuming hunters was either a completely new phenomenon or something ancient that had been dormant until now.
"Georgian Hunter Association's assessment?" he asked.
"They believe it's some form of corrupted dungeon—possibly connected to historical sites in the region. There are rumors of old magical practices, pre-Christian rituals that might have influenced the dimensional formation."
Eugene nodded slowly. Georgia's magical history was complex, with layers of different traditions that had evolved over millennia. If those influences had somehow contaminated a modern gate...
"I'll need complete autonomy once I cross the border," Eugene stated. "No backup, no oversight, no predetermined timeline."
"Mr. Sushiyanse, I understand your capabilities are exceptional, but—"
"Director," Eugene interrupted, his amaranth eyes beginning to glow faintly, "either you trust my judgment, or you don't. Half-measures in this situation will only result in more casualties."
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, and Director Hovhannisyan found himself stepping back involuntarily. There was something about Eugene's presence that made even experienced hunters uncomfortable—not fear exactly, but the recognition that they were in the presence of something that operated by entirely different rules.
"Of course. Full autonomy it is."
**[QUEST ACCEPTED]**
**[Travel Preparation Phase Initiated]**
**[Recommended Equipment: Environmental Adaptation Gear]**
**[Warning: Unknown Hazards Detected]**
The flight to Tbilisi took four hours, during which Eugene spent his time in meditation, carefully managing his mana reserves and reviewing everything he had learned about nihility sphere energy since his awakening. The Transcendence ability had proven both powerful and costly—he would need to use it more strategically in an unknown environment.
**[VOID MASTERY ANALYSIS]**
**Current Efficiency: 73%**
**Projected Improvement: +15% with Focused Practice**
**Reality Anchor Status: Untested in Combat**
The system's passive analysis confirmed what Eugene already suspected—his powers were still developing, adapting to his understanding and experience. Each encounter taught him something new about the fundamental nature of his abilities.
Shota Rustaveli Airport was bustling with activity when Eugene arrived, but he was met by a small delegation from the Georgian Hunter Association. Their leader, a weathered man in his fifties named Giorgi Beridze, had the bearing of someone who had seen too much combat.
"Mr. Sushiyanse," Beridze greeted him in accented English. "Thank you for coming. The situation has... deteriorated since we sent the request."
Eugene's poker face remained intact as they walked through the terminal. "Define 'deteriorated.'"
"The gate's energy output increased by another 30% overnight. We've had to evacuate a three-kilometer radius around the site. Whatever's inside that dungeon, it's becoming more active."
As they drove through Tbilisi's winding streets toward the affected area, Eugene observed the city's unique blend of ancient and modern architecture. The juxtaposition reminded him of Armenia's own complex history—layers of civilization built upon older foundations, each leaving its mark on the collective consciousness of the region.
"Tell me about the historical significance of the area," Eugene requested.
Beridze glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "You think that's relevant?"
"Everything is potentially relevant when dealing with dimensional anomalies."
"The site is near the ruins of an old temple complex. Pre-Christian, possibly Zoroastrian influences mixed with older traditions. Local folklore speaks of it as a place where the barriers between worlds were always thin."
Eugene's amaranth eyes flickered with interest. "And now a gate has appeared in the same location. That's not a coincidence."
As they approached the cordoned area, Eugene could feel it—a wrongness in the air that made his supernatural senses recoil. This wasn't just a gate; it was a wound in reality itself, infected and festering.
The gate stood in a clearing surrounded by ancient stone foundations, its surface rippling with colors that shouldn't exist. Unlike normal gates, which maintained relatively stable energy patterns, this one pulsed with chaotic fluctuations that seemed almost alive.
"Forty-three hunters entered over four days," Beridze explained as they stood at the perimeter. "Teams from Georgia, Turkey, even a specialist squad from Germany. All experienced, all well-equipped. None returned."
Eugene studied the dimensional rift with his enhanced perception. The energy signature was unlike anything in his experience—part technological gate construction, part something far older and more primal.
**[DIMENSIONAL ANOMALY DETECTED]**
**Classification: UNIQUE**
**Threat Level: EXTREME**
**Contamination Source: Unknown**
**Recommendation: Exercise Maximum Caution**
"Has anyone tried to analyze the contamination?" Eugene asked.
"Our best theorists believe it's some form of magical resonance between the modern gate technology and whatever power was concentrated here historically. The two forces are feeding off each other, creating something new."
Eugene nodded slowly. It made sense from a theoretical perspective—magic often followed unexpected pathways when different systems interacted. But theory and practice were very different things.
"I'll need the area completely cleared for the next twenty-four hours," Eugene stated. "No observers, no monitoring equipment, no backup stationed nearby."
Beridze looked uncomfortable. "Mr. Sushiyanse, surely some level of support—"
"Would only provide additional targets for whatever's inside." Eugene's voice carried absolute certainty. "This contamination feeds on magical energy. The presence of other hunters would only make it stronger."
As the Georgian team reluctantly withdrew to a safe distance, Eugene found himself alone with the anomalous gate. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the ancient stone foundations, and for a moment, he could almost see the layers of history that had accumulated here—centuries of rituals, prayers, and desperate attempts to touch something beyond the mundane world.
**[SOLITUDE ACHIEVED]**
**[ENHANCED ANALYSIS AVAILABLE]**
**[CONTAMINATION PATTERN IDENTIFIED]**
**Pattern Type: Recursive Energy Loop**
**Effect: Power Amplification Through Consumption**
**Weakness: Dependent on External Magical Input**
Eugene's lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. The system's analysis confirmed his suspicions—this contamination was essentially a magical parasite, growing stronger by feeding on the hunters who entered the gate. But parasites, by definition, required hosts to survive.
What would happen if the host was something the parasite couldn't digest?
Nihility sphere energy was, fundamentally, the absence of magical force. It didn't provide power for parasitic entities to consume—it removed the very concept of consumable energy from local reality.
**[STRATEGY FORMULATED]**
**[WARNING: APPROACH CARRIES SIGNIFICANT RISK]**
**[TRANSCENDENCE AVAILABILITY: FULL]**
Eugene approached the gate slowly, his amaranth eyes beginning to glow with inner light. As he drew closer, he could feel the contamination reaching out to him, probing at his magical signature like hungry tentacles.
Let it probe. Let it try to understand what it was dealing with.
The surface of the gate rippled more violently as Eugene reached out to touch it. The moment his fingers made contact, reality lurched around him, and he found himself falling through layers of corrupted space-time.
**[ENTERING ANOMALOUS DIMENSION]**
**[STANDARD PARAMETERS DO NOT APPLY]**
**[SURVIVAL PRIORITY PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED]**
**[ENTERING ANOMALOUS DIMENSION]**
**[STANDARD PARAMETERS DO NOT APPLY]**
**[SURVIVAL PRIORITY PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED]**
**[DUNGEON STRUCTURE DETECTED: 5 LEVELS]**
**[CONTAMINATED ENEMIES: 247]**
**[BOSS ENTITY: THE DEVOURER OF ECHOES - LEVEL ???]**
Eugene landed in what had once been a normal dungeon entrance hall, but corruption had twisted it into something far more sinister. The walls pulsed with veins of dark energy that seemed to drink in light itself, and the floor was covered in a substance that looked like crystallized despair.
The first wave of enemies emerged from the shadows—corrupted goblins that had been transformed by feeding on the magical energy of trapped hunters. Their eyes burned with stolen power, and their claws dripped with essence that didn't belong to them.
Eugene didn't move from where he stood. Instead, he raised one finger, and the Nihilizer manifested as a perfect sphere of absolute negation around the nearest goblin. The creature didn't die—it simply ceased. Not destroyed, not killed, but reduced to the mathematical concept of zero. One moment it existed, the next moment it had never existed at all.
**[Contaminated Goblin Negated]**
**[Stolen Energy Signatures Purified: 3]**
**[EXP Gained: 500 (Purification Bonus Applied)]**
The remaining goblins attacked in a coordinated rush, but Eugene's response was methodical. He didn't fight them—he simply edited them out of reality one by one. A gesture here, a thought there, and corrupted enemies were reduced to nothing while their stolen power was returned to the dimensional framework as pure, clean energy.
**[Level 1 Cleared: 43/43 Enemies Negated]**
**[Purification Rate: 100%]**
**[Corruption Resistance Building...]**
The second level was a maze of twisted corridors filled with Shadow Wraiths—spirits of the consumed hunters, bound to the dungeon and forced to attack any new arrivals. Eugene paused as he encountered them, his amaranth eyes studying their tortured forms with clinical interest.
"You don't belong here," he said softly, his voice carrying that strange resonance. "Let me correct that error."
The Nihilizer manifested differently this time—not as destructive spheres, but as gentle waves of negation that passed through the wraiths like a cleansing tide. Where the energy touched them, their corruption was systematically removed, their binding dissolved, and their tormented essence was finally allowed to find peace.
**[Shadow Wraiths Purified: 31]**
**[Souls Released to Natural Cycle]**
**[Achievement Unlocked: Merciful Negation]**
**[New Technique Learned: Soul Cleansing]**
The third level presented Eugene with his first real challenge—Amalgamated Hunters, grotesque fusions of the raid teams that had been partially digested by the dungeon's corruption. They retained fragments of their original abilities but twisted into something predatory and wrong.
One of them had been an A-Class fire mage. Now it was a writhing mass of flame and flesh that spoke in the voice of its original owner while attacking with malevolent intelligence.
"Help... me..." it pleaded even as it launched a barrage of corrupted fireballs.
Eugene's poker face never wavered, but something flickered in his eyes—not quite compassion, but a recognition of the mathematical elegance required to solve this particular problem. The Nihilizer couldn't simply erase these beings—they were too complex, too interwoven with legitimate magical signatures. Instead, he would need to perform surgical negation.
**[TRANSCENDENCE ACTIVATED]**
**[DURATION: 15 MINUTES]**
**[PRECISION ENHANCEMENT: ACTIVE]**
With his enhanced perception, Eugene could see the exact boundaries between corruption and legitimate magical essence. He began to work like a surgeon, using the Nihilizer to systematically negate only the corrupted portions while preserving and purifying the original hunter's core magical signature.
It was delicate work that required absolute control. Too much negation and he would erase the person entirely. Too little and the corruption would regenerate. But Eugene had always excelled at precise calculations.
The first Amalgamated Hunter shuddered as corrupted flesh was negated layer by layer, revealing the original mage underneath—unconscious but alive, purified of all contamination. Eugene quickly sealed the man in a protective sphere of stable reality before moving to the next victim.
**[Purification Protocol: Advanced]**
**[Survivors Recovered: 12]**
**[Corruption Removed: 847 Magical Signatures]**
**[EXP Gained: 15,750]**
The fourth level was where Eugene encountered the dungeon's defensive systems—Void Mimics, creatures that attempted to copy his own Nihilizer abilities. They were clever, creating crude approximations of negation energy and launching them at him like weapons.
Eugene observed their attacks with professional interest. "Fascinating," he murmured as a poorly constructed void sphere dissipated harmlessly against his aura. "You're trying to use absence as presence. That's... mathematically impossible."
He demonstrated the difference by manifesting his true Nihilizer power. Where the mimics created crude imitations of nothingness, Eugene wielded the genuine article—the complete absence of existence itself. Their attacks were negated not by opposing force, but by the simple mathematical reality that they were attempting to divide by zero.
**[Void Mimics Corrected: 23]**
**[False Negation Patterns Purified]**
**[Reality Stability Increased]**
The fifth and final level opened into a vast chamber that defied spatial logic—it was simultaneously too large and too small, with geometries that hurt to perceive directly. At its center waited the source of all the corruption: The Devourer of Echoes.
The boss wasn't quite a creature in any traditional sense. It was more like a living concept—the idea of consumption given form and fed on magical energy until it had become something that could exist independently of its original purpose. It had grown fat on the power of dozens of hunters, incorporating their abilities into itself until it was a patchwork amalgamation of every magical discipline.
"ANOTHER MEAL ARRIVES," it spoke in the combined voices of everyone it had consumed. "YOUR POWER WILL COMPLETE MY ASCENSION."
Eugene studied the entity with his enhanced perception, cataloguing its structure, its weaknesses, and most importantly, the mathematical principles that kept it coherent. Like all parasitic entities, it had a fundamental flaw—it required external magical input to maintain its existence.
"You're operating under a false premise," Eugene replied calmly. "You assume that all power can be consumed. But you've never encountered true negation."
The Devourer attacked with everything it had—waves of stolen fire magic, ice storms borrowed from frost mages, dimensional tears copied from space manipulators, healing spells perverted into corruption vectors. It was an impressive display that would have overwhelmed most S-Class hunters.
Eugene responded by simply existing.
The Nihilizer didn't counter the attacks—it negated the very concept of the attacks. Fire became the absence of combustion. Ice became the negation of cold. Dimensional tears became spaces where space itself was undefined. Each assault was reduced to zero before it could reach him.
"IMPOSSIBLE! EVERYTHING CAN BE CONSUMED!"
"No," Eugene corrected, his amaranth eyes beginning to glow with transcendent power. "Everything can be negated. You are proof of concept."
He began to walk forward, the Nihilizer flowing around him like a tide of mathematical certainty. Where it touched the boss chamber, corruption was systematically reduced to zero. Not destroyed—negated. The difference was crucial.
The Devourer threw more and more power at him, depleting its reserves in increasingly desperate attacks. But each expenditure of energy only made it more vulnerable to Eugene's approach. The creature was essentially a magical equation that only balanced because of the energy it had stolen. Remove that energy, and the equation collapsed.
**[BOSS ANALYSIS COMPLETE]**
**[VULNERABILITY IDENTIFIED: Energy Dependency]**
**[OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Systematic Power Negation]**
**[WARNING: Target Will Become More Dangerous as Power Decreases]**
Eugene smiled slightly at the system's warning. It was mathematically accurate—as the Devourer lost power, it would become more desperate and potentially more creative in its attacks. But desperation was just another variable to account for.
The final phase of the battle was almost anticlimactic. As the Devourer's stolen power was systematically negated, its form began to collapse. The creature that had terrorized multiple hunter teams was revealed to be nothing more than a mathematical error—a paradox that had been allowed to persist through the application of stolen energy.
Eugene reached out and placed his hand directly on the entity's core, allowing the Nihilizer to flow into its very essence. The creature's scream was cut short as its existence was reduced to zero—not death, but a return to the mathematical baseline from which it should never have deviated.
**[BOSS DEFEATED: THE DEVOURER OF ECHOES]**
**[METHOD: COMPLETE NEGATION]**
**[STOLEN POWER SIGNATURES PURIFIED: 2,847]**
**[DIMENSION RESTORED TO ORIGINAL STATE]**
**[MASSIVE EXP GAINED: 75,000]**
**[LEVEL UP! LEVEL UP! LEVEL UP! LEVEL UP!]**
**[CURRENT LEVEL: 32]**
**[TITLE EVOLUTION: VOID SOVEREIGN → NIHIL SOVEREIGN]**
**[NEW ABILITY: CONCEPTUAL NEGATION]**
**[ACHIEVEMENT: MATHEMATICAL PERFECTION]**
As the boss chamber collapsed back into normal dimensional space, Eugene found himself standing in the original temple ruins. The corrupted gate was gone, leaving only clean air and the faint echo of purified magical energy settling back into natural patterns.
The twelve hunters he had rescued materialized around him, unconscious but alive, their magical signatures cleansed of all