Damien's eyes remained closed, yet, a string of system windows still appeared in his vision.
[Your achievements have reached the required threshold to change your class. Choose a new class from the list below. The nature of your Baptism will vary depending on your choice.]
[Choose a Class]
[1. Space-Time Grandmaster]
[2. Spatial Sovereign]
[3. True Dragon]
[4. Godsprout]
[5. Harem King]
Damien almost coughed a mouthful of blood when he saw the last option. These class options were based on the achievements he built until this point, and it was true that he had intentionally or unintentionally been together with a bevy of beauties in that time, but he didn't think the system would acknowledge this!
Then again, Damien had a habit of flirting with everyone, even if that person was a Demigod, so it wasn't strange. Still, he didn't realize how many paths the system offered people until this moment.
Regardless, the fifth option was directly thrown out the window by him. He had no interest in wasting his life by pursuing a path of debauchery. But even as he looked at the other options, his brow became increasingly more furrowed.
Space-Time Grandmaster, Spatial Sovereign, these were most definitely classes that were based on his achievements.
Unlike his journey to 3rd class, he concentrated on a more focused path during the past few years spent reaching the 4th class boundary. It was natural that his choices had less variation between them.
Even True Dragon was based on the direction he guided his bodily evolution. Only Godsprout was a mystery.
However, none of these choices felt right. None of them resonated with his being the same way his Celestial class did when he first chose it.
Damien frowned. 'Is changing my class necessary? I have yet to even touch on the precipice of a Celestial, how can I think about abandoning it already to try something new?'
This was his true thought. Damien's lifeblood was that of a Celestial, and as a young Celestial who had only just started realizing the greater abilities of his class, he didn't want to part with it.
But, ironically enough, the system wasn't giving him a choice. Until he chose one of the provided options, his Baptism would be halted.
But at that moment, a change took place.
[Your Legend is being forcefully overwritten.]
[Your Class list has been changed.]
[Your Class has been forcefully chosen.]
[You have become the Voidbringer. This class is an unknown, as it has never appeared in the universe before. Your wish to continue on the path you have forged resonated with an unknown force, bringing about a first-of-its-kind miracle. Following your wish, your new path will run parallel to its predecessor. Your Celestial Class will not be overridden. Your future path cannot be determined.]
Damien was flabbergasted. Something interfered with the system? Voidbringer? There wasn't anything like that on the provided list!
But judging by its name, the source of this change could be easily inferred. After all, that source had been a silent companion for Damien since the very beginning of his journey.
[Your Baptism will now begin.]
Before he could even question what the Voidbringer class entailed, a new system window appeared. After this declaration, Damien felt the power of space around him rapidly twisting and changing.
[Beginning the first trial.]
Bang!
Damien felt as if his extremities were severed. His perception range decreased drastically, his senses dulled, even his mana lost a portion of its original luster.
Space rapidly constricted around Damien's body, but no matter how he attempted to wrest control over it, it wouldn't budge. His dominion over space had been completely removed.
"Haa…haa…haa…haa…"
Damien's breaths became heavy. Not only because of the physical constrictions taking place, but the mental ones as well.
Ever since he was a child, space had always been with him. Even before the World Awakening, Damien's perception of space was strange. It always made him feel warm and cozy as if it was his hearth.
But now, for the first time in his twenty-something years of life, this hearth had been taken from him.
The mental impact was greater than he ever imagined. As he stood in the air, he merely felt things as they were. He felt the air around him, he felt the swirling World Energy barrier in the distance, he felt the strange invisible force pressing down on him, but even though he knew this force was space, he couldn't perceive it at all.
His mind fell into an inadvertent panic. No matter how strong his will was, it was impossible for him to immediately adapt to the loss he was currently feeling.
And as if to mock his mental state, the compression force of the surrounding space increased drastically.
Blood vessels popped out of Damien's skin, his muscles bulging as he was forced to resist the pressure with his bare body. His mana revolved rapidly, but after losing its core attribute, it wasn't anywhere near as fierce as it usually was. Circulating his mana only somewhat relieved his burden, leaving a majority of it for him to continue bearing.
"Haa…haa…haa…haa…"
His breathing was shallow. It didn't help his current situation at all. At that moment, his blood vessels began to pop one after another.
"Argh!"
Although the pain was immense, it allowed his chaotic mind to return to sanity at least somewhat. A wisp of rational thought crept into his muddled head.
'Stop panicking! What the hell are you doing?! Do you want to fail the Universe Baptism within the first few minutes?! Get your shit together!' Damien roared at himself internally.
"Come on!"
Bang!
He recklessly punched out, but with the current state of his body, his punch didn't do any damage. In fact, the surrounding space returned his force back to him, turning his arm into a mangled mess.
'Shit!' He exclaimed. But with more pain came more rationality. It could even be said that Damien purposefully sacrificed his arm to regain his mind.
"Haa….haa…."
His breathing slowed. His eyes remained closed, his body feeling the ever-increasing pressure of compressing space.
But his mind was elsewhere. Damien put his full trust into Transcendent Regeneration to keep him alive, sealing off his senses and submerging himself in his spiritual world.
'Hoo…calm down.'
With his environment becoming more chaotic and the empty feeling of his lack of spatial affinity disappearing, his mind was able to regain enough clarity to think straight.
'To think I'd be so distraught at the loss of my spatial abilities. Although I've experienced extreme suppression before, I've never experienced what it's like to be a normal person without a spatial affinity at all. What a terrifying Universe Baptism.'
Thinking about it, things began to make sense. Even if this was only the first trial, it was still a Universe Baptism. And more than that, it was a Universe Baptism related to the class his Void Physique had forced onto him. There was no way it'd be simple.
'This isn't just a test of my abilities, but a test of my mentality as well. It's clear from my previous state that I thoroughly failed it.' Damien sighed to himself. His previous showing was pathetic.
He prided himself on his will, it was one of his greatest facets. But even this supreme will crumbled when he lost his spatial affinity.
But it couldn't be helped. Quite literally from the moment he was born, Damien had been able to perceive space differently from others. The only reason he couldn't actively control it was because of the lack of mana on earth.
There was no way to describe the horrific feeling of loss that washed over his mind and body when this perception was taken away. If it had to be compared to something, it was an exponentially worse version of losing all of one's 5 senses in an instant.
It was harrowing.
But this was also the kind of ability that only a nigh-omnipotent entity like the system could possess. Only it could make him feel this level of loss.
Therefore, only it was worthy of testing him like this.
Analyzing the situation with a calm mind showed him a different picture than what he saw before.
He'd already failed this trial in his book, but the Baptism was still ongoing. This meant he had a chance to redeem himself.
'The Universe Baptism isn't just a method of gaining the universe's acknowledgment. To even reach that step, one must first perfect themselves. While the Baptism is a trial, it is also a training ground for practitioners to temper themselves and rid themselves of their previous weaknesses. No wonder the differences between 3rd and 4th class are so substantial.'
"Haa…" Damien took a deep breath. With a stable mind, he returned his senses to his body. Immediately, that terrifying sense of loss enveloped him.
Nothing could prepare him for this. Even if he was mentally ready, the feeling itself still caused his mind to freeze in shock for a few moments.
But the difference was, this time he was able to regain his facilities.
His mana surged. His bodily strength increased madly. In his mind, he wildly shouted.
'Demon Transformation! Dragon Transformation!'
His body morphed, his skin became covered in black scales, his hair turned snow white, and mysterious runes decorated his skin as dragon horns and wings appeared on his forehead and shoulder blades.
'Defense!'
The mysterious runes twisted into a rhombus-like pattern, exponentially increasing the toughness of Damien's body. Even with the horrendous twisting of space around him, he remained unaffected.
And now that his body had stabilized, he was able to focus his mind on his feeling of loss. He was able to thoroughly understand this feeling and submerge himself into it. In his mind, countless scenes flashed by.
His life on earth before the World Awakening was exceedingly bland. Space was his safe haven back then. He was being literal when he called it his hearth.
Without its presence, the young Damien was unable to endure the mental trauma that continued to pile onto his person. Even when he met Elena later, he wasn't able to properly converse with her or become friends.
His sense of self had been suppressed too far without any shoulders to lean on. Even his mother was unable to fill this void.
But he managed to persist until the World Awakening. He persisted until he awakened as an attributeless practitioner.
This kind of character would usually become a weapon master like Long Chen, supplementing their lack of affinity with another Law. For Damien, this was Sword Law.
He became a sword cultivator, but he wasn't a very strong one. At most, he could be considered average.
And when that fateful day came when he was forced into the dungeon, the result remained the same. After all, the Void Physique still hindered his development.
But that was it.
Even without the power of space, he still managed to scrape up a tiny bit of determination to live, even if this determination was only to save his mother.
Even without the power of space, he managed to kill a powerful beast and evolve, starting his journey on the path to strength.
Even without the power of space, he made it out of the dungeon, reaching a height in Sword Cultivation that he had never seen before in reality.
But there was one stark difference.
When he reached 3rd class, he didn't receive a method to return home. He was forced to work like a madman until he gained access to a broken starship, barely making his return.
Damien watched all these scenes take place. Without the power of space, his path would've been completely different. But that didn't mean he had no path at all. In the end, he was a person who yearned for strength and freedom. With his personality, it was impossible for him to die early unless he offended some powerhouse outside his caliber.
Damien sighed lightly. 'My greatest friend and companion is space itself. Even after viewing these scenes, my view hasn't changed. However, I can at least begin to accept my current state.'
His eyes flashed open. Mirage appeared in his hand. Sword Intent covered its blade, slowly becoming more profound until it was nearing the level of Sword Aura.
'My path is my own. Regardless of what method I use to reach it, the peak will always be my goal. If you wish to deprive me of what is rightfully mine, fine. Do as you please. However, do not expect me to sit still and just watch.'
Mirage made a simple arc in the air. There wasn't anything special about this strike. After all, the only sword moves Damien knew were all fueled by his spatial affinity.
But the intent behind this slash was far more profound than that. It was a manifestation of Damien's desire to continue forward regardless of the consequences, regardless of the losses.
Ka!
Space shattered wherever the sword passed. The terrifying force bearing down on his body lessened greatly. And at the same time, the feeling of loss within Damien's body slowly faded.
It wouldn't be long before he completed the first trial.
