Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1313 - 1313: Truth

"The conceptual weapons that can affect one's abilities are made of two things: the knowledge of magic or techniques and living energy," Sakaki explained. "Corrupt energy is something like that. It is a source of energy that can be multiplied and harvested. The bacteria in the air is proof of that.

This place was designated to make people eager to fight each other and increase their corrupt energy to make it grow in this zone."

Rain stopped for a moment and a thoughtful expression was shown on his face as he absorbed Sakaki's revelation. The implications of the information were staggering. If the corrupt energy and the accompanying bacteria were intentionally fostered to encourage conflict and amplify the power within the prison, it raised critical questions about the nature of the prison itself.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Rain realized his concerns,

"Considering that the inhabitants of the previous zone endured for thousands of years. If we assume a similar timeline for our current zone or perhaps much longer thanks to the flow of time here…" Rain thought. "The unchecked growth of the corrupt energy and the bacteria would have rendered the environment uninhabitable long ago. It implies a deliberate control mechanism over the population.

The very essence of life and energy in this zone is being manipulated."

He thought over the intricacies of the system at play, recognizing that the conditions within the prison were not simply a consequence of chaos but rather a meticulously designed structure meant to regulate the inhabitants and control the current flow of corrupt energy.

The prisoners, driven by the pursuit of power to break free from the prison, unknowingly played into the hands of the prison's rulers. The rulers, in their cunning strategy, maintained a delicate balance. While allowing the prisoners to accumulate enough power to sustain hope and the illusion of escape, the rulers ensured that the overall energy within the zone was carefully harvested.

The prisoners, in their quest for freedom, unwittingly became sources of immense energy and knowledge. When they met their demise, their accumulated power and the techniques they possessed were absorbed not only by the prison rulers but also by the very bacteria pervading the environment.

The prisoners, believing they could escape, left behind a legacy of energy and knowledge that ultimately contributed to the perpetuation of the prison's oppressive system.

This revelation showed the situation of the prison's manipulation, exposing the prisoners' struggles as a cycle of empowerment and subsequent exploitation. Rain recognized the need to destroy these layers of deception to understand the true nature of their predicament and to strategize effectively for their ultimate goal.

"I see now… it is a typical scam… the rulers here make people feel that they are obtaining power, but they are only working almost for free for them," Rain said. "Why kill us when we can become parts of their machine? This seriously pisses me off."

"At least this confirms that the enemies aren't invincible. If they need the prisoners, it means that they have a limited amount to use," Elisabetha said. "Once we destroy this base, we will have dealt a massive amount of damage to their whole working structure."

Rain didn't think that it was so simple… it was his gut feeling trying to warn him again. He didn't want to ignore it, but he couldn't act on it yet. In any case, it was confirmed that Sakaki's power to analyze and transform the knowledge of the cores was pretty much the same as the power of the conceptual weapons.

But the power of that system was weakened by default since the weapons could be lost or stolen… another part of the scam.

Rain wondered how he was going to explain that to the others… but it seemed that he wouldn't need that. The master of the prison was already in motion, and Arel warned Rain of that.

"Many lords are moving right now, and it seems that they are heading in your direction," Arel said.

"Well, this didn't take long…" Rain said while narrowing his eyes. "Sakaki, try to analyze the system further to combine both of the paths system and the class system. You will have plenty of combat data to help you with that, after all."

"All right," Sakaki said.

"Everyone," Rain said via Telepathy. "Enemies are coming because we made some discoveries, and the master of the prison didn't like that. For now, I want you all to prepare for battle while only using the virtue paths as much as possible. Trying not to use the power of the sins now is almost impossible, but try to contain that as much as possible. That will make the prison fall apart."

The news of the prison's manipulative structure left the group in a state of confusion, with numerous questions lingering in their minds. However, recognizing the urgency of the imminent threat posed by the approaching enemies, they chose to prioritize the approaching battle.

The unexpected acceleration of the zone's endgame, though troublesome, aligned with their objectives, offering a strategic advantage.

Amidst the uncertainty and the influx of inquiries, the group demonstrated a collective decision to concentrate on the immediate challenge. In the face of the approaching lords and the impending confrontation, the group prepared to deploy their skills, emphasizing the virtue paths to minimize the potential repercussions associated with the power of the sins.

It was a strategic move to dismantle the prison's structure gradually and avoid troublesome consequences.

Before long, Rain was able to see a sea of enemies coming in the distance… usually, the lords wouldn't cooperate with each other, but this time, it seemed that they were offered some rewards to do so. That was one of the reasons why Rain wanted to take his time dealing with the cores, but it wasn't surprising…

"The only to pull this off and be ready to face the master of the prison is by using every single resource available here," Rain thought. "I guess I will have to turn even ordinary monsters into cores…"