Icarus remained silent for a moment as the wind passed gently through the trees.
His gaze shifted toward the fruit-bearing plants around him.
Bright blue fruits hung from the branches, glowing faintly under the sunlight.
"…If monsters appear in thirty days," Icarus said calmly, "food will become important."
**[Correct, Master.]**
He reached up and plucked one of the fruits from a nearby branch.
The surface was smooth and slightly warm.
"But carrying supplies everywhere would be annoying."
For a brief moment, the Nexus interface flickered.
Then a new notification appeared before his eyes.
---
**[NEXUS FEATURE UNLOCKED]**
Feature: **Void Inventory**
---
Icarus raised an eyebrow.
"…Inventory?"
**[Affirmative, Master.]**
Another window expanded.
---
**Void Inventory — Description**
• Master may store **any physical object** within the inventory.
• Stored objects are placed in **temporal stasis**.
• Time does **not pass** inside the inventory.
• Retrieval is **instantaneous**.
• Storage Capacity: **Unlimited**
---
Icarus looked at the last line again.
"Unlimited?"
**[Confirmation, Master.]**
**[This storage privilege is exclusive to Master.]**
Another smaller panel appeared.
---
**[System Comparison]**
Other Participants:
Inventory Feature — **Locked**
Unlock Requirement — **Level 5**
Storage Capacity — **Limited**
---
"So everyone else needs to level up first."
**[Correct, Master.]**
Icarus looked at the fruit in his hand.
"Alright… show me how it works."
**[Command acknowledged.]**
**[Focus on the object and issue a mental storage command.]**
Icarus focused slightly.
"Store."
The fruit vanished instantly.
A new panel appeared.
---
**[VOID INVENTORY]**
Stored Items:
• Unknown Blue Fruit ×1
---
"…Convenient."
He began gathering fruits from nearby trees.
Blue fruits.
Golden fruits.
Small red berries.
Each time he touched one, it disappeared into the inventory.
---
**Stored Items Updated**
• Unknown Blue Fruit ×8
• Golden Sun Fruit ×6
• Red Berry Cluster ×14
---
After several minutes, the surrounding branches were empty.
Icarus dusted his hands lightly.
"That should last a while."
He lifted his head and stared toward the endless sky of the Creator's dimension.
The world was silent.
Beautiful.
Perfect.
Yet something about it felt… strange.
"…Nexus," he said slowly, "doesn't this world feel too perfect?"
For a brief moment—
His eyes flickered.
Darkness moved through his pupils like liquid shadow.
Without realizing it…
**The Eyes of Nihyron activated.**
The world suddenly changed.
Invisible currents of energy appeared everywhere.
Reality itself seemed layered.
And then—
Far ahead in the forest…
Icarus saw something strange.
Space itself began to distort.
Thin black fractures slowly spread through the air like cracked glass.
The ground trembled slightly.
A deep and ancient pressure began leaking into the world.
The fractures widened.
Dark energy spilled from them.
Then—
**Reality tore open.**
A massive swirling vortex of black and violet energy formed above the forest.
It looked like a doorway leading into endless darkness.
At that exact moment—
A voice echoed across the entire dimension.
---
**[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT]**
**Alert to all participants.**
**A Gate of the Voids has opened within the Creator's Dimension.**
---
Across forests…
Across mountains…
Across deserts…
Every human heard the message.
---
**[Warning]**
The Gate of the Voids is classified as a **highly dangerous anomaly.**
The anomaly is releasing **extremely dense dark mana.**
Participants are **strongly advised to maintain distance** from the Void Gate.
Exposure to the dark mana may result in **severe corruption or death.**
---
The announcement faded.
Dark mist slowly spread from the vortex.
The surrounding trees began to wither slightly under the pressure.
The air itself felt heavy.
Yet Icarus stood there calmly.
The dark mana flowed around him like harmless fog.
A notification appeared.
---
**[Passive Effect Activated]**
Race: **Voidborne**
Effect: **Dark Mana Immunity**
Description:
Master possesses natural compatibility with **Void and Dark energies**.
External dark mana cannot corrupt or harm Master.
---
Icarus glanced at the notification.
"…Convenient."
The Nexus interface appeared again.
**[Void Gate detected.]**
**[Status: Activated]**
Icarus narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So… I caused that?"
For a brief moment, the interface flickered as Nexus analyzed the anomaly.
Then it answered.
**[Negative, Master.]**
Icarus raised an eyebrow.
"…Negative?"
Another panel appeared.
---
**[Void Gate Analysis]**
Origin: **Void Realm**
Classification: **Dormant Dimensional Gate**
Previous Status: **Inactive**
Current Status: **Activated**
Trigger: **Contact with Void Authority**
---
Nexus continued.
**[The Gate of the Voids was already present at this location.]**
**[However, it existed in a dormant state.]**
Icarus looked again at the massive vortex distorting the sky.
"…Dormant."
**[Affirmative, Master.]**
**[The gate responded to Master's presence.]**
Another line appeared.
**[Master's Void Authority resonated with the gate.]**
**[This resonance triggered its activation.]**
Icarus crossed his arms slightly.
"So it opened because I came near it."
**[Correct, Master.]**
The vortex pulsed again.
Dark energy spilled into the forest like mist.
Icarus looked at it thoughtfully.
"Everyone else was told to stay away."
The Nexus responded immediately.
**[Correction, Master.]**
Icarus tilted his head slightly.
"…Correction?"
Another panel appeared.
---
**[VOID GATE COMPATIBILITY CHECK]**
Entity: **Icarus Grimm**
Race: **Voidborne**
Authority: **Ruler of the Voids**
Result: **Perfect Compatibility**
---
**[The warning does not apply to Master.]**
Icarus looked back at the swirling vortex.
"…Meaning?"
The Nexus answered calmly.
**[Master should enter the Void Gate.]**
Icarus raised an eyebrow.
"…You're telling me to jump into that?"
The vortex pulsed again, as if reacting to him.
**[Affirmative, Master.]**
**[The Void recognizes Master as its rightful ruler.]**
Just as Icarus stepped closer, another notification appeared.
---
**[VOID GATE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS]**
Dimensional Region: **Void Realm**
Stability: **Stable for Voidborne Entity**
Additional Property Detected: **Temporal Distortion**
---
Icarus paused.
"…Temporal distortion?"
**[Affirmative, Master.]**
Another panel unfolded.
---
**Void Realm Temporal Flow**
Void Realm Time: **1 Week**
Creator's Dimension Time: **3 Months**
Time Ratio: **1 : 12**
---
Icarus stared at the numbers.
"So if I stay inside for one week…"
"…three months pass outside."
**[Correct, Master.]**
The vortex pulsed again.
Darkness swirled like a living storm.
Icarus exhaled slowly.
"…That's quite the advantage."
Without another word—
**Icarus Grimm stepped into the Gate of the Voids.**
---
Inside the Void Realm, there was no sky.
No land.
Only endless darkness stretching across existence.
But to Icarus, it did not feel hostile.
It felt… familiar.
Weeks passed.
Within the Void, Icarus trained relentlessly.
He learned to sense the endless currents of **Void Energy** surrounding him.
At first the energy was chaotic.
Wild.
Impossible to control.
But slowly…
His body began to resonate with it.
**Adaptive Resonance** activated again and again as his body adapted to the Void itself.
Days turned into weeks.
Until finally—
After **five weeks inside the Void Realm**, Icarus stood silently within the endless darkness.
Void energy flowed around him like a storm.
But this time—
It no longer resisted him.
It obeyed him.
A notification appeared.
---
**[VOID AUTHORITY PROGRESS UPDATE]**
Void Energy Compatibility: **Complete**
Master has achieved **Full Void Energy Synchronization**
---
Icarus slowly opened his eyes.
Dark energy spiraled around him like loyal shadows.
"…I see."
The Nexus responded calmly.
**[Master now possesses complete control over surrounding Void energy.]**
Icarus looked toward the distant distortion where the gate waited.
"…Time to go back."
Without hesitation—
He stepped forward.
The Void Gate opened once more.
And **Icarus Grimm returned to the Creator's Dimension**.
Behind him, five weeks had passed.
But in the outside world—
**Fifteen months had gone by.**