Chapter 25: The Lake That Complained IV

Chapter 25: 25: The Lake That Complained IV ---

He walked along the shore, letting his mind settle into the practical rhythm of survival. He had food stored. Water now. Shelter options. A void storage. A blood system.

But power in Null was not about having things.

Power was about refining yourself until the world had to respect your existence.

Sekhmet’s gaze shifted inward.

"I need to raise my chaos energy purity as soon as possible."

Purity mattered more than raw energy. Pure chaos energy was sharper, more efficient, more destructive. A person with lower raw energy but high purity could dominate someone with higher energy but muddy purity. Purity was the blade. Energy was the arm.

He had five percent purity.

It was low.

Too low for the path he was now being forced into.

The simplest method available was chaos stones.

Chaos stones were condensed chaos energy. A resource formed naturally or harvested from beasts and certain environments. They were currency, fuel, and training material all in one. People used them to cultivate, to strengthen chaos bodies, to refine purity. They also used them to buy food, weapons, slaves, and betrayals.

Sekhmet had stolen a treasure room.

He needed to know what it contained.

He stopped walking and addressed the system.

"System," he said quietly. "Can you count how many chaos stones I have and sort everything I stored."

The system responded without delay.

[Ding! System: Confirmed. Initiating inventory count and classification.]

A window unfolded, and lines of text began to flow.

Sekhmet’s eyes moved across them, steady, focused. For the first time since escaping the orc cave, he felt something close to control.

[Inventory Report: Void Land Storage Category: Chaos Stones Total: 10,428,650]

Sekhmet’s breath caught slightly.

Ten million.

More than ten million.

The number sat there like a mountain made of math.

The system continued.

[Category: Legendary Grade Items (Tier 2–3) Count: 117

Estimated Total Value: Equivalent to 5,000,000 chaos stones (market dependent)

Category: Nightmare Grade Items (Tier 1) Count: 2 Identified:

Nightmare Coat (Tier 1)

Nightmare Boots (Tier 1)

Category: Mixed Treasure

Count: Numerous (miscellaneous, unappraised)

Note: Use Blood Eye to appraise unknown items.]

Sekhmet stared.

His mind tried to grasp the scale.

Then his thoughts formed clearly, sharp and stunned.

"I have over ten million stones. That is a huge number. That is the annual income of my father."

He swallowed.

"With ten million stones, I can raise my chaos energy purity by eight to ten percent if I use them wisely."

He paused and calculated in his head the way merchants did, the way survival demanded.

"Usually one million chaos stones can raise one percent purity in low stages. But the more you use stones, and the higher your purity climbs, the more stones you need for each percent."

He exhaled slowly.

So even with ten million stones, he could not simply buy godhood. He could only buy a foundation.

Sekhmet’s gaze sharpened on the next part.

"One hundred seventeen legendary grade two and three items."

That was wealth beyond what most purgatory survivors ever saw. Those items could be sold, traded, leveraged. If he found the right buyer, he could turn them into more stones, better resources, or favors.

In Null, favors were sometimes worth more than money.

Then his eyes landed on the nightmare items.

He did not hesitate.

He needed them.

His current clothes and shoes truly were beggar-level. They were worse than beggar-level. They were desperation stitched into fabric.

He spoke quietly.

"Show me the nightmare coat and boots."

The system did not need to physically show them in his hand. It simply opened the storage access. Sekhmet reached into the Void Land connection with his mind and pulled them out.

Whooomp...

The coat appeared first.

It was black, but not the dead black of normal cloth. It was black with depth, like looking into smoke that refused to disperse. The fabric felt smooth when he touched it, almost too smooth, as if it had been woven from shadow and silk. It was heavier than it looked, but the weight was balanced, not dragging.

The boots appeared next.

They were dark as well, reinforced at the toe and heel. The material looked like leather but felt like something tougher, something that could take a blade and laugh at it. Faint lines of chaos energy ran through them like veins.

Sekhmet activated Blood Eye, appraising.

[Nightmare Coat Tier 1

Type: Defensive Gear

Effect: Enhances resistance to physical damage and minor chaos attacks.

Effect: Reduces scent leakage.

Note: Compatible with host]

[Nightmare Boots Tier 1.

Type: Mobility Gear.

Effect: Enhances stability and movement efficiency.

Effect: Reduces foot impact noise.

Note: Compatible with host]

Sekhmet’s eyes widened slightly.

Reduces scent leakage.

That alone was priceless in purgatory.

(Note Authors explanation: Classes in Null

In Null, items are ranked by both class and grade, and that ranking decides everything: the price, the power, and who would kill you for it.

There are three official item classes that everyone recognizes.

1. Legendary Class (Grade 1 to 3)

Legendary items are the most common "high-tier" items. Most strong mortals use them.

Grade 1: Entry legendary. Still very valuable.

Grade 2: Rare in lower domains. Strong enough to change battles.

Grade 3: The peak of Legendary. Owners are usually elites, warriors, or war commanders.

2. Nightmare Class (Grade 1 to 3)

Nightmare items are in a completely different category. They are infused with far denser chaos energy and often carry special effects that feel "alive."

Grade 1: Already beyond most legendary gear.

Grade 2: Extremely rare. Usually owned by half-gods, ancient clans, or domain rulers.

Grade 3: Almost myth-level for mortals. A single piece can become a family treasure for generations.

3. Origin Class (Grade 1 to 3)

Origin items are the highest known class. They are forged from chaos energy so pure it feels like the beginning of existence.

Grade 1: So rare it is usually locked in god vaults or guarded by cities.

Grade 2: Almost never seen.

Grade 3: True legend. People believe even gods can fight wars over one.

The Fourth Class: Abyss Class (Myth)

There is another class that most people think is only a legend.

Abyss Class-

Abyss items are not just stronger. They feel like they have will.

Many people deny they exist because nobody can prove it. Others claim they are real but hidden, because if an Abyss artifact appears publicly, gods would tear domains apart to claim it.

Sekhmet now knows the truth.

Abyss class exists.

And worse...

One of them is bonded to him.)

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