Shaking himself slightly from his daze, Orion slowly gathered his thoughts. With a small internal sigh, he mentally formulated his reply. As he thought it clearly, shimmering golden letters formed on the screen:
[Primus: Continuum? Is this a group chat?]
There was a brief pause, during which Orion simply sat cross-legged upon his bed, patiently awaiting a response. The silence lingered briefly, only broken when new words began appearing rapidly.
[Continuum: Of course, this is a special prize for the top 10 rankers of a floor. But who are you? I don’t think I have heard of your name before.]
Orion’s lips curved into a faint smile at the confusion evident in Continuum’s tone. He was certain that Continuum never expected a newcomer to arrive at such a ranking so quickly. Amused and slightly eager to see his senior’s reaction, Orion mentally responded:
[Primus: I’m Orion, we met in the tower just now.]
There was another short silence, as if Continuum needed extra time to process what he had just read. Then, as expected, a shocked reply immediately appeared, filled with blatant disbelief:
[Continuum: Huh? What the fuck?! How did you reach Top 10 already? Were you there for hundreds of years already?]
Orion chuckled softly, genuinely entertained by Continuum’s bewilderment. He had sensed that his achievement was exceptional, yet seeing Continuum’s genuine astonishment provided an oddly satisfying feeling.
His mental response appeared smoothly and calmly on the screen:
[Primus: No, I went straight for the stairs after you left. It was quite challenging. I only managed to pass the 40th step.]
This time, Continuum responded with a series of dots, speechless in his stunned disbelief:
Suddenly, several other names began to appear on the golden screen, evidently the other top-rankers:
[Astral: Wait, did he just say he cleared the 40th step right after entering?]
[Crimson Lotus: Is this for real? It took me five tries just to break through the 35th.]
[Voidwalker: Someone pinch me, am I hallucinating?]
Each reaction mirrored Continuum’s shock, with each new message appearing quickly after the other, filled with astonishment and incredulity.
Orion stared at the screen and looked at the new names appearing with curiosity. But after a few seconds, no new messages came. After another pause, he typed:
[Primus: Why did everyone go silent all of a sudden?]
It was Continuum who finally broke the stunned quietness, his golden letters filled with shock:
[Continuum: Fucking monster.]
A moment of silence followed as Orion processed Continuum’s blunt reply. Then, abruptly, laughter spilled softly from Orion’s lips.
The bewildered reactions of these powerful, accomplished individuals made Orion feel a unique sense of pride and amusement.
Lumi, silently hovering at his side, let out a bright, giggly laugh, clearly entertained by the ongoing scene.
[Hehe, Master! It seems you’ve stunned them completely. Their reactions are priceless!]
Orion nodded with a grin on his face. "Seems I made a bigger impression than I thought."
After thinking about it for a second, he decided to send another message:
[Primus: Anyways, how many people are here?]
[Continuum: Guess it. Since you are ranked 10th.]
[Primus: Hmm, so are there 10 people here?]
[Continuum: Of course not. There are only 7 people right now. The first ranked, our group leader, left to the higher floor some time ago. While 2 others died.]
[Astral: No need to scare the newcomer Gramps. I know you are old and have seen everything. Go and rest your old bones otherwise the people chasing you will get you.]
[Continuum: Hmph! Worry about yourself Astral. You don’t have it much better in your world.]
Orion looked at the chat in wonder as he said to himself, "Truly, it doesn’t take long for a chat to descend into chaos when there are more than 2 people."
[Hehe, it’s funny to see the chats though Master.]
Orion chuckled and nodded his head in agreement before sending a message.
[Primus: Where are the members here from?]
[Astral: All of us are from different Chiliocosms. You won’t even know the name so it doesn’t matter if you ask that.]
[Primus: Do you guys also fight with Demons in your Chiliocosm?]
The entire chat became silent just as he asked that. Continuum sent a message next:
[Continuum: Yes, nearly all Chiliocosms are infested with Demons. We call them the Dark Faction.]
Orion took a deep breath and silently looked at the screen.
[Astral: The two of our members who died were also fighting Demons before they died.]
[Crimson Lotus: They reproduce like maggots. No matter how many I burn they keep coming back sigh.]
Orion inwardly shook his head,
[Primus: My world is also on the verge of a war with them. I need to be prepared for this eventually.]
[Continuum: If you can, then get someone who has learned the Light Element on your side. They are the most effective against most Demons. But you need to be very selective and find the rare fighting-type Light Element users.]
[Voidwalker: They are some of the rarest specimens. Most of the Light Element users’ nature is inherently pure and gentle so finding those who fight openly is rare.]
Orion continued to read the chat, golden letters flashing above quickly.
The screen glowed faintly, illuminating his contemplative expression. He felt oddly comforted, realizing he wasn’t alone in his struggles—there were others, scattered across countless Chiliocosms, who also bore the heavy responsibility of fighting against the encroaching darkness.
After reading the final message from Voidwalker about the scarcity of combat-oriented Light Element users, Orion took a deep breath, eyes narrowing slightly as his thoughts quickly solidified. He knew what he had to do.
Mentally composing his reply, golden text appeared swiftly:
[Primus: Then I’ll go and look for something.]
Without waiting for further responses, Orion gently disconnected from the mysterious group chat.
The screen flickered once, then quietly vanished. A moment later, the Golden Headband upon his brow dissolved into faint motes of golden light, retreating silently into his Sea of Consciousness.
Exhaling slowly, Orion’s shoulders slumped slightly with the thoughts of new knowledge. His thoughts churned rapidly, reflecting deeply upon everything he’d learned from the other Legacy Holders.
A slight frown crossed his handsome face as he whispered quietly to himself, "So, Demons truly are a problem wherever they go, huh..."
Lumi’s gentle voice chimed in softly within his Sea of Consciousness, a tone of agreement underlying her usual cheerfulness,
[They really are the ruin bringers of this world.]
Orion nodded quietly, his mood briefly low as he processed the implications.
He understood now that the battle against the Demons was far greater than merely his own world—it spanned countless realms and Chiliocosms, a universal threat everyone faced.
The seriousness of this revelation settled heavily in Orion’s heart, deepening his sense of urgency.
Slowly shaking his head, Orion straightened, feeling a sense of resolution replacing his weariness.
With calm steps, he walked over to his bed, gently pulling back the soft covers. As he lay down, allowing himself to fully relax, Orion murmured softly yet firmly, "Whatever. At least now I know exactly what I want to do tomorrow. First, I’ll rest today, and then I’ll head out."
Lumi responded gently, her voice soothing yet cheerful:
[Rest well, Master~ ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)]
Orion smiled faintly at her cheerful kaomoji. He replied warmly, "Good night, Lumi."