Game's Extra: Starting With SSS-Ranked 1000-Death Talent-Chapter 29: Death Break

It wasn't the best plan.

Nor was it something he wanted to do.

Yet, in his current situation, Noa saw no other option but to fake his death.

He had to kill himself for that.

Fighting through Evolved Embers was one thing, but actually defeating hundreds of them was beyond his capabilities.

If push came to shove, Noa could have exploited his Echoes.

However, he had no intention of disclosing his talent.

"You fuckers think you can get me?" he roared. "Try me, bitches."

Then he drew his sword.

Noa fully understood their intentions and knew he could abuse the fact that they couldn't kill him.

So he smiled.

"I'd rather end my life than give it to you," he said, bringing the blade to his throat.

Extinguishing two corpses from his collection, he added Death Affinity to the weapon.

"No!"

"Stop him!"

Soldiers yelled upon seeing his actions.

It was too late.

Noa cut his own head, welcoming the pain and flickering life.

Embers tried to heal him to save his body from the impending death.

But it didn't work.

The necrotic power made sure to intervene with every healing, marking his demise.

As the panicked screams reached his ears, Noa felt the approaching coldness.

It was his second time ending himself.

[ You died ]

His mind was jolted awake in nothingness.

'I did it.'

The first step of his plan was completed.

It was the easiest step, and more was yet to come.

Time almost didn't pass in this place.

Spending a minute here barely amounted to one second in the world of living.

But Noa had to hold on.

'It's gonna be hard and I will be miserable.'

He predicted his future condition because his idea was to stay in this death realm for as long as possible.

Not having a body or thing to do quickly bored him.

Left with his empty thoughts, Noa reflected on his situation.

He was so close to meeting Arthur.

His new life had looked promising.

He could no longer afford to find a new place for his family.

They were put in danger because of him, and he was unable to protect them and their peace.

'I was too arrogant... Too full of myself, thinking that I was invisible, not realizing that I had weaknesses as well.'

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Noa had thought himself overpowered.

Having the best talent and skills, half-immortality, and knowledge of the world got to his head.

And he was reaping the consequences.

But he wasn't out of options yet.

Lingering in this white place demanded his mental energy.

Fortunately, his intelligence was higher than the first time he had stayed here.

It boosted his aptitude, and the mana reinforced his resistance.

But he couldn't withstand forever.

His internal clock barely kept up with the passage of time.

An hour went by, and the system spoke to him.

[ Your time is up ]

The piercing headache came.

It tried to trigger the Echo of Doom and use his life.

The skill wanted to bring him back to Velrox.

Noa didn't.

Another system message should have arrived and announced that the skill had been used.

Yet Noa endured the pain with pure willpower.

'No! It's not the right time.'

So his battle began.

It was against himself, and opposing his urge to revive, Noa didn't give up.

He spent hours battling the pain.

His mind was holed with countless needles, making him weak.

Noa still struggled.

Giving up wasn't an option, and spending time in this nothingness, he wondered what happened to his corpse.

'Did they transport it somewhere?'

After spending hours of solitude with only the pain keeping him company, Noa gained something new.

It wasn't exactly an ability.

Nor was it his hallucination.

Noa's five senses found another one, increasing his awareness of the world.

These six senses almost penetrated the nothingness and reached the place where he had died.

It allowed him to gain insight into the situation he left behind.

However, it was hard to distinguish what was happening.

Noa spent the next hours heightening his sense amidst the pain that increased with each second.

His unwavering will prevailed.

Finally, his attempts bore fruit.

Noa glimpsed his condition in the real world.

The Embers stood before him, afraid to touch or even do something.

His death was the least favorable outcome, but there was nothing they could do.

The orders forbid touching him until officials sent their representatives.

But their hurdle was the fact that no other grade could get into the First Abyss except Evolved.

Which was perfect for Noa, since he was certain that no one in the same grade could stand in his way.

After a while, even thoughts were hard to form in his mind.

His struggles didn't stop until he chose the right moment.

"Now!" Noa screamed internally.

He triggered the skill by stopping confronting it and willed to go back into his own body.

[ You were on the edge of life and death ]

[ You lose an additional 100 lives ]

[ Echo: 787/1,000 ]

The numbness in his brain didn't register the pain of being reborn.

Jerking his eyes closed, he brought the world into focus via different senses, allowing him to gauge the situation he was in.

For a moment, he lay still.

Pieces of memories flooded his head.

Catching up to his condition was demanding, but he fought through it.

The close sound of footsteps, mixed with murmurs and metallic clinks of armor, reached Noa's ears as if urging him to act quickly.

'I don't have much time. They will soon notice that I'm alive.'

Each passing second was a risk he couldn't take.

Thankfully, hours had passed, the darkness had masked his corpses, and the perimeter was less dense with soldiers than before.

Noa felt that something was off.

Not in a bad, but in a good way, as if he had been given an opportunity—a perfect moment to seize his chance.

Someone neared him.

Gazes darted in his direction, but something told him that he remained undetected.

It would only last for a second—a brief moment he had to work with.

Eyes still closed, sword no longer in sight, Noa's hands moved with precision, as he searched for the human who had reached him.

The air was cut when his hand found the target.

Snapping the neck and feeling the fleeting life in his fingers, Noa lay on the ground once again.

No one saw his quick action.

And grinning with his face for the last time, Noa activated Corpse Puppet, shifting his mind to the guy he had just killed.