My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 390: Accepting the responsibility

A heavy stillness settled over the cavern once more.

The spectral projection of Edrin Solace drifted above his own cold remains, its dim radiance casting shadows against the ancient stone walls. The very atmosphere grew dense, as though the cave itself were holding its breath.

Ethan did not break the silence immediately.

He remained motionless, gazing at the corpse of an entity that had once ascended to a height where even gods would bow in reverence. A being that had ultimately met with failure. A being whose life ended in a desperate struggle to shatter the cage imprisoning all of existence.

Accepting that legacy meant inheriting that failure as well.

The human race.

A species that was fragile, fractured, fleeting, and plagued by countless imperfections.

A race that slaughtered its own over belief systems, resources, and primal terror.

A race that prostrated itself before superior powers, surviving only through adaptation, concealment, and sheer endurance.

Ethan shuttered his eyes.

And yet, it was also a race that stubbornly refused to be extinguished.

Regardless of how often they were crushed, enslaved, or wiped from history, humans inevitably returned. They possessed a faster rate of learning. They grew with greater speed. They rose in rebellion more rapidly.

They dared to envision the impossible.

With mere mortal hands, they reached for the celestial heights.

Ethan let out a slow breath.

"I am human," he murmured.

His words drifted softly through the hollow chamber.

"I despise our frailties. I loathe our ignorance. I detest our malice." His hands tightened into fists. "But I also love this race."

He opened his eyes, meeting the gaze of Edrin’s soul directly.

"If I take this path... do I become the Progenitor this very moment?"

Edrin gave a small, gentle shake of his head.

"No," he answered. "Initially, you must personally ascend to the level of a Progenitor being."

He lifted a single, shimmering finger.

"Should you choose to succeed me, I shall bestow my remaining authority upon you. The instant you achieve Foundation Establishment into the Progenitor Realm, dominion over the human race will be yours."

Ethan’s gaze sharpened. "Dominion."

"Indeed," Edrin stated with composure. "You will possess the power to lead them, restrain them, or raise them up. However, let me give you a warning."

The phantom’s face grew grave.

"Simply becoming the Progenitor carries no weight on its own."

Ethan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"You must forge an empire," Edrin went on. "A dominion vast enough to lead the entire human race across this cage and through all of creation under your standard."

The cavern trembled slightly as the weight of those words settled in.

"Once you manifest your own Law—a Law as potent as any of the three thousand—and fuse it with the human race, they will transform into an Original Race."

Edrin’s eyes flashed with intensity.

"Only then will there be any hope of transcending the cage."

Ethan felt a heavy burden press against his chest.

This was not a gift of salvation.

"I encountered inverse humans previously," Ethan remarked suddenly. "Were they also your handiwork?"

A faint, knowing grin touched Edrin’s lips.

"They are not humans."

He slowly shook his head.

"An inverse entity sought to replicate the human race and birthed an inverse race from that attempt. But mimicry is not the same as true creation."

"They possess defects. Profound, structural flaws. You will see for yourself if you examine them with care."

His eyes lingered on Ethan.

"And yes, I perceive it. You carry the resonance of the inverse world within your being."

Ethan felt no shock that the man could see through his secrets.

It was irrelevant. That was not his true hidden card. His only absolute secret was his infinite origin sea.

"You ought to finish this evolution," Edrin advised. "Even I cannot predict what you will transform into. However, you will become something of immense power; of that, I am certain."

Ethan lapsed into silence once more.

There was one final point he needed to clarify.

"One more thing," he requested. "If I take the mantle of Progenitor... can I track every single human?"

Edrin gave a nod.

"Yes. You will sense their presence. You will locate them. You will hear their pleas."

He hesitated for a second.

"Naturally, if a supreme entity such as myself, or one even more powerful, is intentionally masking them, you might not."

His expression turned stern.

"You must become stronger."

Ethan let out a soft, dry laugh.

It was a low sound, devoid of mirth.

"That seems to be the solution to every problem."

He cast a final look at the lifeless body.

Then, he straightened his posture.

"I accept."

The cave groaned and shook.

For the first time, the soul of Edrin Solace flashed a genuine smile.

"Excellent," he said softly. "Then receive it."

From the center of the corpse’s chest, a solitary droplet of blood manifested.

It was dense and golden, emitting a terrifying aura of authority. The surrounding space warped, as if reality itself was strained by its existence.

The blood drifted toward Ethan.

The moment it made contact with his skin, it plunged straight through.

Ethan let out a cry of pain. The energy contained within the blood was beyond measure. It felt as though it were trying to bury itself deep within his very soul.

The golden essence fused into his heart.

The remains beneath Edrin’s soul began to splinter.

Then, they crumbled into ash.

The spectral projection began to vanish, his parting words echoing in Ethan’s mind.

"I hope you can fulfill what I could not."

The cave fell back into a deep silence.

Ethan was left alone.

He gripped his chest as the final echoes died away.

"This is madness," he breathed.

However, his eyes blazed with newfound determination.

"I will see it through."

He was aware of the next step.

The Throne of Destiny trial.

To break through into the Progenitor Realm.

To earn the right to stand at the pinnacle of his race.

But before any of those concerns...

His gaze softened.

"I have to find my family."

Ten days went by.

Ten days of intense preparation.

Ten days of quiet before the impending storm.

When Ethan was finally granted permission to return to reality, the world felt different.

The moment he crossed the threshold, his pupils contracted.

The world did not welcome him with warmth, but with hostility.

No.

It was anticipation.

The second Ethan’s feet touched the earth, the laws of reality shifted minutely, as if the world itself had recognized his presence. An invisible wave of pressure radiated from him, surging through the mountains, the oceans, and the heavens.

He sensed it immediately.

Thousands of gazes were fixed upon him.

These were not merely eyes, but wills. Intentions. Murderous desires.

From the firmament above, where warped clouds concealed watching shadows.

From distant peaks, where ancient masters opened their long-sealed eyes.

From hidden dimensions stacked upon reality, where candidates crouched like predators in the brush.

From the void itself, where formless beings halted and turned their focus toward a single coordinate.

Toward him.

Ethan scowled.

The sensation was overwhelming.

"What is happening?" he whispered.

Then, a memory surfaced.

He recalled the warning that if he entered another reality, his coordinates would be broadcast.

Ethan hadn't feared that. A lone candidate was insignificant to him, but this?

"There are too many of them," Ethan said under his breath, his voice remaining firm despite the gathering storm.

Before he could contemplate further, a voice crashed down upon the world.

It originated from neither the sky nor the ground.

It resonated from everywhere at once.

A frigid, absolute command vibrated within the consciousness of every candidate present.

[Slay Ethan Hunt to immediately obtain eighty percent authority.]

"So they want my head, do they? But are you sure you can take it?" A freezing smile spread across his face.

Whether it was one, a thousand, or a hundred thousand, it made no difference to him.

With his current overwhelming power, he could annihilate them with ease.

Yet, Ethan had a nagging suspicion that the Will of the Eternal Domain had orchestrated something far more devious than this simple hunt.