Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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It's another day in the camp, but today's a little special...

About a week ago, the 2nd batch of participants for the Ancient Chaos Path finally arrived. The group was a mixture of desperate people and interested parties.

Unlike the first batch, though, Cedric wasn't the one who greeted them. Instead, it was Jormund, the very first person who succeeded in following Cedric's footsteps.

No, Jormund didn't replace Cedric as the director of the project. He just took over the work of an overseer; most of the decisions will still end on Cedric's desk. The difference is that he's a little more hands-off because the project already moved in the right direction. This way, Cedric could focus on other important things around the camp instead of being tied to his desk or watching over the participants.

Cedric's value to the Border Patrol Office was unprecedentedly high. In some ways, it even exceeded that of the chancellors. And it's all because of the great success of the Ancient Chaos Path.

Up until now, those who 'graduated' from the project continue to be an asset for the office. Although they're not revealed to the public eye just yet, their contributions were already piling up, and every single thing they do traces back to Cedric.

Cedric himself has never been idle. Aside from managing the project, he's also hands-on for the many improvements around the camp. He even built some of them himself; he's a master forger after all.

But just like the other Ancient Chaos Path practitioners, Cedric's name, or alias, isn't widely known to the public just yet. The ones that knew him were the real powerful figures that are supporting the office; the common folk don't know him at all.

And this was intentional. Cedric himself believed that it's not yet the time for them to go public. It won't be until his research on the Ancient Chaos Path allows the Cosmic Level experts to transition as well.

Speaking of that, Cedric has made some considerable progress over time in his research.

By now, he's at least 95% confident that the Void Refinement Realm could only go up to the 9th Stage. The 10th stage or anything beyond was very unlikely, and even if it's possible, it's more trouble than it's worth. Therefore, the 9th stage being the pinnacle was more ideal.

As for what comes next after the Void Refinement Stage, it's still blurry. He only got some minimal clues from the other Void Refinement Stage that reached the 9th Stage.

According to them, their inner world felt stiff, giving them an impression of going out of their control. Additionally, there are things that made each person's cultivation unique, making it difficult for Cedric to discover a general method of advancement that works for everybody. .

Take Jormund, for example; his Inner World has a Totem Beast Pillar at the very center. It's this very thing that made it possible for him to attain atavism even though, technically, it shouldn't have been possible.

It's the little differences like these that made pioneering this path more challenging. Moreover, Cedric also has a unique thing about him, which is the concept of law embryos.

The little threads of varying colors swimming through the sea of dark gold within his Inner World were a unique thing to him, so far. It's still unknown if it's a him thing or a human thing. Regardless, this little difference is what Cedric must focus on because this was the key to his advancement.

As for the clues to the advancement, Cedric still felt that it's tied to the evolution of the Inner World. But instead of expanding it even further, he thinks that its quality must be elevated instead. As for how to do that, well, Cedric has no idea how to do so for now. But he had time; he knew that it shouldn't take too long before the answer came to him.

Of course, as he worked all around the clock, Cedric never neglected his own training. His personal strength was still his foremost priority, after all.

It's been a while since he broke through the 6th Stage of Void Refinement. By now, his Inner World was nearly full with Chaos Energy once more. The neutral void territory was very little, and as days passed, it was getting tinier as well, being converted to Chaos Energy even without Cedric's direct intention.

It wouldn't be too long before he's ready for another breakthrough.

But all of the things that have been said so far were not the reason why today was special...

**

"Child, do you know what today is?" Silas looked at Cedric, smiling wryly as he saw the clueless look on Cedric's face, which already told him the answer to his question.

Cedric, who's been sifting through documents, looked at him in confusion. He tilted his head and said, "It's the 3rd day of the 2nd week, I think."

Silas snorted comically, which was completely outrageous for his public image, but Cedric didn't point it out.

"Well, that's not wrong, but also not the answer I'm, well, you, rather, are looking for."

"Hmm?" Cedric frowned as he looked at him. "I don't understand."

All this mystery was making Cedric even more confused, and if he's really being honest, a little annoyed. His mind was immersed in his work, and he's not really in the mood for puzzle solving right now. So, if Silas decides to be direct anytime soon, he would very much appreciate it.

"It's the 10th year anniversary of your service here, silly."

Crash!

Cedric just about dropped everything that he was holding after hearing that. With wide eyes and thick disbelief coloring his face, he looked at Silas to see if he's jesting, but it didn't look like it.

Silently summoning his system, he confirmed the date and time and discovered that, indeed, it's been 10 years since he came here.

Pursing his lips, Cedric fixed the mess through telekinesis while he rested his back on his chair. His eyes turned blank for a bit as memories of his journey replayed in his mind.

After a brief reminiscence, Cedric released a long sigh, whispering, "It's been that long, huh? It sure didn't feel like it."

Unknowingly, 10 years have passed since he came here. Which means that today was the conclusion of his stipulated mandatory service according to his contract with Silas and Hunyo.

Even though Cedric never needed or used too much of the resources they invested in him, Cedric still honored the contract. Yet at some point, he became so immersed in his work that he had completely forgotten about it.

Knowing this, there's a feeling of emptiness within him, but only just a little bit.

With the clearance of the oath he had sworn, Cedric was no longer bound to the Border Patrol Office. If he wanted to, he could leave and never return. While a lot of people will do their best to make him stay, he's sure that if he truly wanted to, none of them would be able to keep him here.

But here's the thing: Cedric didn't want to leave...

During this 10 years of service, he had come to view the Border Patrol Office as his home. He had willingly taken the responsibility of helping it improve and all. In simple terms, he's already invested here, so he's a little reluctant to part.

And he doesn't have to part with it, actually. His freedom gave him a choice. He could stay if he wanted to. He also didn't feel the need to transfer to other government bodies because, frankly, he's just not interested.

"What's your plan?" Silas asked after seeing Cedric's attention returning to the present.

Cedric took a deep breath, trying to suppress something within him.

"Home." He whispered, "I'll go home for a bit, I think. I miss them—my wives, my sons, my old friends, and my homeworld. Seeing them in the virtual world is just not the same, after all."

Yes, Cedric didn't want to leave his post and his responsibilities to the office, but he also wanted to go back home for a bit.

To say that he deeply missed his family would be an understatement. Like he said, seeing them in the virtual world isn't just the same as meeting them in real life.

Throughout his stay here, Cedric kept in contact. He would set aside at least an hour or two of his time every day to chat with his family or meet them in the virtual universe. He didn't ask them about his home; he focused on spending quality time with them instead because he believed and trusted that they would do just fine without him there.

Now, he had the chance to return, and he's taking it. He's not leaving his job, just going on a vacation at least.

"Going home is nice. I understand what you feel." Silas nodded. Cedric's love for his family and home was one of the many traits he liked about him, and it's also what makes him formidable.

"Go and apply for a leave. Go home and spend some time with your family. We'll be fine without you."