“You’ve been through a lot.”


    The sincerity in the Magician’s voice was unmistakable. His face, though only slightly, showed clear signs of fatigue.


    “Word got out, and Transcendents from all directions swarmed in. They were all eager to control the Scales of Ouroboros. Yet, despite their fervor, it was impossible.”


    The Transcendents—those who govern the very concepts of the universe.


    They are beings who, with mere intent, can threaten the entirety of existence. Their influence spans the cosmos, making them some of the most powerful entities in existence.


    Yet even they, gathered in numbers, failed to control the Scales of Ouroboros.


    It was something beyondprehension, a humiliation that shattered their pride.


    “Because of that, I had to go quite far and borrow power from elsewhere.”


    “Elsewhere?”


    “Ouroboros is akin to a mechanism responsible for the cycle of all things. But it isn’t the only such mechanism in existence.”


    The Magician shrugged casually.


    “This isn’t something that has much to do with you right now, so let’s set that aside. The important thing is... after various trials and methods, I was finally able to create it.”


    The Magician waved his hand, and a jewel began to drift toward Taesan.


    “Take it. It’s yours alone.”


    Taesan extended his hand, and the white jewel gentlynded in his palm.


    [You have obtained a Fragment of Ouroboros.]


    [Fragment of Ouroboros]


    Allows movement through twisted and fragmented flows of time. Comes with several constraints and conditions.


    A smile spread across Taesan’s lips.


    Finally.


    This was what he had been waiting for. After what felt like an eternity, it was finally in his grasp.


    Suppressing his excitement, Taesan examined the item. It wasn’t perfect yet—he needed to confirm how much of the intended functionality had been achieved.


    “There are constraints and conditions listed here.”


    “As expected. Moving through twisted timelines is impossible even for us.”


    Not even the Transcendents could fully escape the flow of time. Only Ouroboros held such power.


    “Simply traveling back to the past would’ve been easier, but that’s not what you wanted, is it? Because it’s a concept that exceeds our understanding and domain, it couldn’t be perfected. Consequently, some significant penalties are attached.”


    “What kind of constraints?”


    @@novelbin@@


    “First, one.”


    The Magician raised a finger.


    “You can indeed move through twisted timelines. However, those timelines are separate from this one.”


    “A parallel world?”


    “Something like that. It’s a different temporal axis. No matter what you do or achieve there, nothing in this timeline will change.”


    If Taesan had intended to return to the past and alter the future, this would’ve been devastating news. Aplishments in another timeline would leave no impact on this one.


    Yet, Taesan’s expression remained unchanged.


    “And the next?”


    “That timeline is fundamentally different. You’ll be a foreign entity there—an anomaly. With the Fragment of Ouroboros and your own power, you’ll manage for a while, but if you try to make significant changes, that timeline will push to expel you.”


    There were constraints on his actions and use of power.


    “This limitation doesn’t mean much, though. Your abilities and strength will already be restricted.”


    “Restricted?”


    “You can only travel to points after your own birth. You can’t go to a timeline where you don’t exist. You understand that, right?”


    Taesan nodded, and the Magician pointed at him.


    “The issue is that your strength will also be fixed to that timeline’s version of you.”


    Taesan pondered the implications before speaking.


    “So, if I go back to my childhood, before entering thebyrinth...”


    “Your abilities will regress to that of your younger self.”


    It was an enormous penalty. Losing all his power and returning to being an ordinary human meant there were very few viable timelines to visit.


    “Of course, if you want, you can draw on your current power, but in that case, you won’t be able to stay long.”


    Another significant and severe limitation.


    Still, Taesan’s expression betrayed no disappointment.


    “And?”


    “As I mentioned, you’re an anomaly in that world. The reverse is true as well.”


    Anything from that timeline brought into this one would also be an anomaly.


    “It’ll be challenging to bring materials or items back. Even if you seed, they’ll likely lose all value here. The Fragment of Ouroboros won’t be an exception.”


    “So, I won’t be able to bring back anything?”


    The Magician nodded.


    “Not quite. If you acquire something through legitimate means—your own efforts and will—it won’t be considered an anomaly. In such cases, there shouldn’t be any issue bringing it back.”


    “That’s enough.”


    Taesan smiled.


    He couldn’t alter the past. He couldn’t make meaningful changes, and he might even lose his power temporarily. Bringing anything back was heavily restricted.


    The penalties were numerous, and each was burdensome.


    But Taesan was satisfied. He tightened his grip around the Fragment of Ouroboros.


    The Magician watched him with intrigue.


    “This is getting interesting.”


    The Magician knew exactly what Taesan was nning, as he had been the one to make the request. His curiosity was piqued—could Taesan achieve what he sought?


    “This will suit you better than what I originally had in mind.”


    The Magician waved his hand. Thebyrinth’sws bent and shifted at his will, engraving a new rule into the space.


    [Floor 94 Quest Start.]


    [Achieve what you desire and return.]


    Reward: The Magician’s Ring.


    Hidden Reward: ???


    “I had something else nned for the 94th floor, but after thinking it over, I realized it wouldn’t mean much to you. This seems like a better fit.”


    “Can you really just change it like that?”


    “Why not? I’m the master of thisbyrinth.”


    The Magicianughed, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and amusement.


    “Now then, go and aplish what you’ve set out to do. I’ll be waiting here in this world.”


    Taesan nodded and descended the stairs.


    The 94th floor was empty, utterly devoid of obstacles or enemies. It seemed to be urging him to take initiative.


    [Are you going now?]


    “There’s no reason to wait.”


    Taesan had alreadyid out his ns when he made his request to the Magician.


    All that was left was to act.


    Bardray murmured hesitantly.


    [So... what happens to me and Akasha? Unlike spirits, we’repletely bound to you.]


    “Akasha maybe, but not you. Can’t you leave me if you wish?”


    [Still, I’m bound to you as a weapon. I’m not sure what will happen in this case.]


    “It shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe only your soul will follow me.”


    As Taesan firmly grasped the Fragment of Ouroboros, understanding flooded his mind—every detail about how to use it.


    [You have used the Fragment of Ouroboros.]


    Kiiiing!


    Ripples spread outward.


    Thebyrinth itself began to tremble and warp. It wasn’t a violent upheaval but a natural distortion, like lines being drawn across a nk canvas.


    Rumble!


    The ripples extended beyond space, affecting time itself.


    Space and time twisted around Taesan.


    [W-what...?]


    Bardray’s voice trembled. Akasha remained silent, but the intensity of the disturbance conveyed her unease.


    They had witnessed many extraordinary phenomena at Taesan’s side.


    But this... this was unlike anything before. It wasn’t the raw strength of the Transcendents or the alien power of the Old Gods.


    It was somethingprehensible yet impossible to ept. Something they could grasp but instinctively wished to reject.


    The reason was simple.


    [It’s... too vast.]


    The scale of what was happening overwhelmed them. It was as if the ground they stood on was revealed to be the back of a massive creature, or everything they knew existed within a mere marble.


    The sheer magnitude of the truth crushed their perceptions.


    Crack!


    The power of Ouroboros manifested. A primordial concept that had existed since the beginning enveloped them, severing them from all flows,ws, and concepts.


    Beings born of the world, once integral to its fabric, now found themselves detached.


    They no longer belonged to this world.


    Woooong!


    ***


    The shifting axes of time and spacepletely enveloped Taesan. Determined that everything was ready, he tightened his grip on the Fragment of Ouroboros.


    Crack!


    Awork of cracks spread across the fragment, and the concept within it was fully unleashed.


    [W-wait!]


    Bardray attempted to speak in rm, but his words dissolved before they could linger in the world. The concept surrounded Taesanpletely,pressing everything.


    And then... nothing remained.


    Taesan, Bardray, and Akasha—all of them vanished entirely from thebyrinth.


    Thud.


    Momentster, Taesan’s foot touched the ground.


    “Hm.”


    [Ugh...]


    [Urgh...]


    A strange sensation washed over them, as if the very world was rejecting their presence. Taesan clicked his tongue and focused his mind. Slowly, the unpleasant feeling began to fade.


    “This is tolerable.”


    It felt like lying atop a pile of jagged stones—ufortable but bearable.


    [Wait a second. What happened to me and Akasha?]


    Bardray sounded confused.


    He was now in a spectral form. Akasha, too, was no different—a faintly glowing, incorporeal figure hovered beside Taesan.


    [Where’s my body?]


    [Master, you’ve changed as well.]


    Taesan examined himself. The vast array of equipment and items he had umted waspletely gone. But it wasn’t just his possessions.


    An overwhelming sense of powerlessness gripped him.


    The immense strength that had once allowed him to cleave the heavens and stand at the pinnacle of existence was utterly absent. Compared to his former self, he was indistinguishable from an ordinary human.


    [M-Master...]


    Akasha’s voice trembled with unease.


    [Where are we?]


    After taking stock of his condition, Taesan lifted his gaze.


    The first thing he saw was the walls of thebyrinth.


    Dark, weathered walls filled his vision. The chamber they were in was quiterge—easily the size of a sports field.


    At its center stood a massive fountain.


    Taesan recognized it immediately. Though the memory was from long ago, it remained vivid in his mind.


    The Fountain of Life.


    It was different from the smaller, decorative fountain he had encountered in Alone Mode. This one was vast, resembling a smallke.


    Its scale far surpassed anything found in thebyrinth of his current life.


    Even Bardray was startled.


    [What the...? Why is the fountain so big? This size doesn’t exist in thebyrinth!]


    [Master, where are we? This ce feels...]


    Akasha trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Bardray continued for her.


    [It feels... like thebyrinth.]


    “It is thebyrinth. Just not the one you’re familiar with.”


    [What’s that supposed to mean?]


    Taesan took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the long-forgotten scenery.


    This was a ce he had cleared over the course of an entire lifetime in his past.


    A distorted space created through the intervention of the Old Gods.


    This was Easy Mode.