"Day 116 Summary: Today I encountered three magical assassins, two tech warriors, and a small squad of thirty cyborgs."
"Judging by the insignia on their uniforms, these individuals should be members of the 66th Detachment of the Seventh Legion, under Father's command."
"They wanted to kill me, and they almost succeeded. That poisoned dagger came within a hair's breadth of piercing my heart. But in the end, I won. I was the one who laughed last, and they all died."
"However, I've encountered a problem now."
"The pre-prepared Nutrient Fluid won't be enough. I need to find a way to get some from the heavily guarded Nutrient Pods. Otherwise, some of my wounds will heal slower, which would be disadvantageous for any upcoming battles."
"Also, during today's battle, I discovered some of my own shortcomings..."
Night fell upon the Dark Citadel, Thanos's domain.
Beckett, sitting at the entrance of the Sanctuary Base, chewed on the end of his pen, doing his best to assemble today's bedtime diary with the vocabulary he possessed.
This year-long assessment, which began the moment he unleashed an energy wave at Cull Obsidian, had now reached its 116th day.
Over these 116 days, the young Beckett had witnessed all sorts of extraordinary ability users in the universe and had been awestruck by bizarre technological weapons. His body, which had been clean and unscarred before the assessment, was now covered in wounds. His entire demeanor had undergone a complete transformation compared to before.
Although his face remained youthful, the cold, murderous aura made it easy to overlook Beckett's age. This was the battlefield merit badge possessed by seasoned, iron-blooded warriors. However, unlike those warriors, Beckett's hands were stained with the blood of his own people.
Thanos, having resolved to forge his son's strong mentality with the lives of his subordinates, directly dispatched some of his trained daredevil squads to Ebony Maw. A total of 1024 death warriors, along with a detachment of 3000 cyborgs.
Now, 116 days later, 404 death warriors and 520 cyborg soldiers had fallen under Beckett's command.
"Ebony Maw is so cunning, he'll definitely be calculating my daily Nutrient Fluid consumption. He must have figured it out. So, he'll definitely set up an ambush near the Nutrient Pods. Maybe that big oaf Cull Obsidian is lurking there."
Spinning the specially made laser pen in his hand, Beckett, with one hand propping up his chin, pondered his next move. Because it was an assessment, Beckett had a period of rest, thought, and summarization every night.
During this time, there was an 80% chance Beckett was safe, and a 20% chance he would be attacked. In Ebony Maw's words, as a warrior, one must develop the habit of constantly paying attention to safety, even during rest.
And the price Beckett paid for developing this habit was a scar that almost ran through his waist. It was left by Ebony Maw himself on the second day of the assessment. Even with the help of Nutrient Fluid, it took Beckett a full ten days to heal.
Beckett remembered that day clearly; it was the first time he had experienced pain that was almost soul-wrenching.
In this small notebook he carried, on the second page, it was written clearly in black and white:
Day two of assessment, weather clear. Ebony Maw stabbed my waist tonight, saying my poor vigilance gave him an opportunity. His stab was very deep, and I almost died.
Not just Ebony Maw.
Cull Obsidian, who dealt Beckett four blows on the twelfth, thirteenth, and sixty-second days of the assessment; Proxima Midnight, who left three deep gashes on Beckett on the sixth, thirty-seventh, and seventy-third days; and even Corvus Glaive, who nearly killed Beckett with a single spear thrust on several occasions.
Through the tempering of life and death, Beckett gradually discarded all unnecessary movements he might make in combat, striving to make his fighting style more efficient.
When facing the elusive death warriors and cyborg detachments, he learned how to deal with mysterious magic and how to dismantle parts from cyborgs to equip himself with the necessary technological weapons, all of which were "rewards" Beckett had gained within these brief 116 days.
Of course, all the names that left scars on him had been added to Beckett's little blue notebook.
After finishing his daily tally of grievances with the intermittent clicking of the special laser pen, Beckett put away his notebook and decided to scout the area around the Nutrient Pods first. He wanted to see how many troops Ebony Maw, that irredeemably wicked individual, had stationed there.
"How much Nutrient Fluid does Beckett have left?"
Above the Sanctuary, Thanos, seated on his floating throne, watched his son skillfully break through Ebony Maw's elaborate traps with a proud smile befitting a father.
His painstaking efforts had not been in vain; Beckett's performance was that of a true warrior.
"According to my calculations, he should have about half a month's supply left." Ebony Maw, who had been calculating and scheming for most of his life, was quite accurate with such matters. Confident that Beckett would attempt to steal Nutrient Fluid, he had already arranged for Cull Obsidian to lead all remaining death warriors and cyborg legions in an ambush around the Nutrient Pods, waiting for Beckett to walk into the trap.
This time, he would perfectly showcase his brilliant strategy to Thanos. He would allow Thanos to witness firsthand Beckett being pushed to the brink, unleashing his potential in the face of life and death, and also ensure Beckett could leave safely to recover from his severe injuries.
Since Thanos had made a rare trip back, Ebony Maw naturally wanted to demonstrate his ability to control the battlefield to him, hoping Thanos would transfer him out sooner.
Although only 116 days had passed, Ebony Maw, who had been confined to the Sanctuary, racking his brain to force Beckett's growth, had already developed a sense of impatience, though he dared not show it.
As the head of the Second Legion, his destiny should be the magnificent sea of stars, not babysitting a seven-year-old child and playing house here.
"It seems you are quite confident in your plan." Thanos withdrew his gaze from his son and glanced at Ebony Maw, his calm tone carrying a hint of unfathomable meaning.
"Do you know why I suddenly returned today?" As if recalling something amusing, Thanos looked up at the full moon hanging in the Sanctuary's night sky.
The cold moonlight was the planet's way of expressing its love to all life in the universe, illuminating their path home.
"The moon looks very round today."
4:48 AM... Well, it's a bit late, but the second update is here... I got back from outside at 2:30 AM, and thinking I couldn't break my promise, I showered and started typing furiously lol.
Can't help it, my nickname is "Honest Young Master"~
Puts hands on hips to brag a little, time to sleep lol
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