Oboro heard the rustling of leaves.
It started softly, but as the sound waves traveled down, they became a myriad of turbulent echoes, continuous thunder.
But he only heard them.
The direction of the sound source seemed to be from the highest heavens, at a very distant location.
"That tree..." Oboro thought of the tree on the map, located in the center of the land, its canopy obscuring the sky.
He had once gone to the tree, but even with his perceptive vision, he couldn't see the trunk of the tree.
And to go around that tree, Oboro had spent a considerable amount of time.
He remembered that at the time, he was accompanied by a group of low-level intelligent creatures that resembled stones.
But now, those creatures were dead...
When his power grew to a certain extent, simply following him became a luxury for weaker species.
The sky now might not be the real sky. What he saw as the sky might just be the stratosphere, at the same height as the tree trunk. He could no longer see the stars... In other words, the trunk alone was so vast, then the lush canopy, when spread out, could likely cover all the land on the map, or even further, even wider.
Oboro could no longer determine where he had traveled on the map. Perhaps he had already left the map... But hearing the loud sound of the leaves rustling meant he was still within the range of that tree's habitat.
At least, it was within the area that the tree could reach.
The reason the sky here was dark, like an abyss, forming a unique environment and ecosystem, was all because of this tree.
It seemed to be the largest life form in this corner of the Dark Continent.
And Oboro hadn't realized it all along.
As he stared, branches, thick as clubs but now appearing slender, descended from the sky, constantly extending, carrying a human.
A real human!
There were no characteristics of other genes on its appearance, such as beastification or strange substances... It was just like Oboro.
The only difference was that its long hair was green, and all the branches were inserted into this person's back, like IV tubes... It had no clothes, just wrapped in emerald green leaves.
The moment he saw the other person, Oboro sensed its power.
That vast life force made even him, who had evolved to the overlord level, feel incredibly small.
"He... is the will of this tree manifested! The roots of this entire tree are deeply buried in the soil of this continent, spreading out over an unimaginable area. At the same time... the energy it has absorbed imperceptibly is even more immeasurable."
Oboro understood.
The Demon King and Cambius, those powerful beings who had created territories, were, in the end, just creatures living under the tree.
Relying on the environment created by the tree, they eked out their survival.
"His journey, which had taken him a long time to travel, had actually never left the territory of this tree... And there must be many such tree species throughout the Dark Continent. So... there are also many lives that can evolve into 'gods.'"
Oboro's thoughts raced, his mind shaken.
The Dark Continent was larger than he had imagined, even larger than the side he thought he had fully understood... He thought he had stepped into the core of the Dark Continent, but he had been wandering around in circles, still under a tree on the shore.
"Humans... can't possibly traverse the entire Dark Continent."
A thought popped into Oboro's mind.
With his current way of traveling and his abilities, just walking out of the area covered by the spreading canopy might take another century?
Compared to the human world, the area occupied by a single tree...
This tree was the 'god' that created or constructed this small piece of land.
His understanding of the truth was limited to this small area.
What the true Dark Continent, its deep interior, was like, probably not even he, the Demon King... including the god before him, knew.
For them, it was also unknown.
It was a bit despairing...
When you think you know everything, see everything clearly, and then someone suddenly tells you that everything you've put in, everything you've gained, is actually just a drop in the bucket, that feeling...
"Traveler from another world..."
The human-shaped god, with countless branches connected to its back, slowly landed before Oboro and spoke softly, "You do not belong here, nor are you suitable for here. You will be expelled."
"The true power you possess comes from the omniscience and omnipotence of another world... and a new understanding and cognition of things. But your omniscience and omnipotence are limited to that small island in the Lake Center... Therefore, in the Dark Continent, this power cannot benefit you."
"The unknown equals all possibilities... Human thoughts, your thoughts, my thoughts, cannot deduce and comprehend everything."
"Your appearance does not disrupt the rules of the Dark Continent, only my rules."
In Oboro's eyes, this person's eyes radiated an indescribable wisdom.
It was as if he had no secrets before him.
"You... have been 'watching' me."
Oboro smiled.
From the moment he set foot on the shore?
"Heh..."
The tree-god raised the corners of its mouth. "Travelers from other worlds are the first I have seen... But beings like you should not be uncommon in the Dark Continent. What kind of world and energy lie in the depths of the continent, I do not know... But I believe that there must be powerful life forms that can break through the limitations of spacetime, even traveling back and forth between various spacetimes. Because even this corner where I live, the energy it nurtures and manifests has already touched this level, let alone 'inside.'"
"In fact... we are the same as the humans on the Island in the Lake. In the Dark Continent, this area is equivalent to the Island in the Lake. In the eyes of humans in the human world on the Island in the Lake, this small area might be the entirety of the Dark Continent... But for us, we don't know what the true Dark Continent is like either."
"…"
Oboro looked at the Demon King kneeling in the distance.
The Demon King was like a top-tier Nen user in the human world. It might have tried to leave this familiar environment and go deeper into the continent, but it must have sensed some even more terrifying danger or felt some more transcendent will, so... it came back.
"That's great..."
Oboro said with relief, "So, the situation of humans on the continent might not be as I thought... It's only limited to the ecosystem you created."
"Long ago, when my consciousness was still hazy, humans already existed... I consumed the remains and lives of humans, thereby evolving and gaining a gradually complete consciousness. They migrated here from the depths of the continent... These people cannot represent all of humanity, only a part of them. But their appearance has brought a certain degree of 'nourishment' to this land. Without them, there would be none of the intelligent beings you see today. In my body, in their bodies... it is all a continuation of human life and genes."
The tree-god explained.
"Undoubtedly, the deeper you go, the more dangerous it will be. There exist unimaginable life forms and energies... It's a pity that you can no longer continue."
"Expulsion, huh..."
Oboro murmured.
For the tree-god, his power was too destructive, infinitely increasing, coupled with his desire for conquest. If left unchecked, even if he had no intention of targeting the creatures within the ecosystem, or even being at odds with it, countless lives would perish over a long period of time before he left this area... Because Oboro needed to become stronger, and becoming stronger meant needing a large supply of souls.
Therefore, it was impossible to allow Oboro to restrain his power and pass peacefully.
Because the further he went, the greater the crises Oboro would face... He had to grow.
The tree-god couldn't possibly watch Oboro destroy everything that belonged to it.
The territory it occupied, the ecosystem it had created, also maintained a certain balance.
"The human world can no longer be returned to."
Oboro said calmly.
He had no intention of fighting the tree-god. Facing an invincible enemy, with no chance of winning, acting rashly was just seeking death.
It was a foolish joke.
"Supreme Will..."
Suddenly, the tree-god said.
Oboro was startled and suddenly looked up at it.
"A powerful will that prioritizes self-realization, you came to this world with a mission of conquest, you want to prove, to prove yourself, to prove that the world you belong to transcends all dimensions. But the benefits your world brings you, your omniscience and omnipotence, only apply to the world you fully understand... At least, in this world, you cannot succeed. Unless you possess even greater power, even more transcendent means... And this requires you to grow." The tree-god's words made Oboro's pupils shrink.
Because these words revealed that it knew he had something like a 'system.'
"I can guarantee that even if I don't expel you and let you enter the interior, you won't be able to survive... The nourishment you need to grow is not here at this stage. In your understanding, you are like a human who has just learned Nen, stepping onto this land. The potential dangers will not give you the time and opportunity to grow."
A level 10 newbie player, preparing to go to a level 100 map to gain experience?
It would likely die as soon as it entered.
But... there was no space in this world that could accommodate him.
He couldn't return to the Island in the Lake, and here... the tree-god couldn't possibly keep him.
"You're not planning to eat me?"
Oboro was very calm.
"No... There is some potential in you, and I also hope that one day, you can fully explore the entire Dark Continent and then come back and tell me everything you have seen and experienced." The tree-god looked at the sky above.
"The range I can operate in is limited from the perspective of the Dark Continent... Wanting to evolve to a point where I am qualified to go to the hinterland is probably a dream, but my life energy is enough to sustain me for a very, very long time, so... I can wait for you. Knowing everything I want to know from your mouth is not a bad idea."
"The Supreme Will you pursue is not just about proving your own power... Power comes in many forms, and self-realization is just one of them. You represent that world, that group, and sometimes, it's not just about you."
The tree-god's words stunned Oboro.
They brought a great shock, a feeling of enlightenment.
"If one day, when you fully understand what power symbolizes, perhaps you can truly become the Supreme Will and return here, to go to the depths of the continent."
The tree-god's words had deeper meanings. With that, the branches in the air contracted, and its body slowly ascended.
"I will only give you one year. If you cannot leave within that time frame... then I can only wait for the next person of hope."
The tree-god's voice echoed from the sky. In Oboro's gaze, it disappeared into the heavens.
The three overlord-level creatures also turned back and quickly left.
"Leave this world, huh..."
Oboro's eyes flashed.
The tree-god had revealed a lot of information in its conversation with him.
The method to break through dimensions, which he had been trying to find, the Demon King, including the tree-god, could not do. But Oboro could... because he possessed the memories and knowledge of his past life, including an understanding of energy. Therefore, what they couldn't do, didn't mean Oboro couldn't.
This was his uniqueness.
As for how to do it, Oboro needed to figure it out himself.
Time: only one year.
"Go to other worlds with space to grow... and then come back?"
Oboro actually had an idea.
Just as he had broken Netero, Bisky, and others' understanding of Nen, playing it in a creative way, so too could he do with other energies.
This talent was given to him by the knowledge of his past life.
It was one of a kind.
"Supreme Will... True power is not just absolute self."
On the desolate land, Oboro sat on Cambius's corpse.
How could he break the barriers between worlds... just like his soul had transmigrated from Earth?
"Wishing?"
Oboro looked up, his eyebrows raised slightly.
The face of Alluka appeared in his mind.
A single Alluka was definitely not enough... What if... there were a group of them?
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