God's Slave: Reincarnated Into an Academy of Heavenly Descendants

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the fog that covered Nolan's vision was just a hand's stretch away from his head.

Right now, his breath was so silent it couldn't be heard at all, as an incredibly chaotic storm of frozen hail and rain battered him relentlessly.

At such a height, every raindrop felt like daggers digging into his body, and blood rained down from Nolan's body with every drop, turning him into a fountain of crimson water.

One thing Nolan knew very well.

This was it for him.

His bones had frozen from the terrible cold, his fingers were numb, and the only thing he felt was the gentle warmth of the flaming dagger in his lips, which provided just enough warmth to stop it from slipping off due to the intense cold and his shivering.

"How wasteful it all was in the end, Nolan. Do you finally realize it? Your battle before—wasn't it for naught?"

"Now what?"

"You're at the end of the rope..." The insidious voice rang in his mind, further dulling his will to keep climbing.

And truthfully, this time, Nolan had nothing to say.

In the end, his happiness at passing the first trial was for naught. Now he was drained and helpless.

He had just arrived beneath the fog of the mountain, and he was more than sure the summit was definitely higher than the fog.

And he couldn't move a muscle anymore.

So in the end, wasn't everything for naught? The death he tried so desperately to avoid—wasn't it now before him once more?

"It's sad..." The voice escaped his snow-covered lips, white hair puffing out of his mouth, not only due to the coldness but also to intense hunger and thirst.

It was as if his bodily needs were amplified a thousandfold, making him incredibly hungry and thirsty.

He was cold, and death was near.

A fall from this height wasn't something he could survive, not even if he had every single bit of energy still present in him.

And therefore, quietly, Nolan rested his body against the mountain, feeling its coldness and numbness.

For an unknown amount of time, he remained like that, and for an unknown amount of time, the ceaseless snow and rain never stopped beating down on him until, eventually, every raindrop couldn't bring out more blood from him, and Nolan resembled nothing but an emaciated, frail corpse, no different from the dead.

One day, finally, after an unknown amount of time, one of his eyes—the red one—opened up as Nolan looked up at the fog, which was still a hand above him, and a single final decision appeared in his mind.

"If someone asks me what I achieved in this lifetime, I will tell them, I scaled a mountain and touched the clouds..."

He mused to himself, and with all the remaining energy left in him, Nolan walked towards achieving his final wish: to touch the clouds.

For that, he summoned every will within him as his unmovable hands groaned and grabbed the dagger before extending as far as his hands could reach.

Then he placed both hands on the dagger and lifted himself up with the last bit of energy within him, his head piercing through the clouds, which were strangely warm.

And when Nolan opened his eyes, he was beyond shocked, as right before him was an incredibly flat surface.

The mountain didn't extend up the fog; it stopped exactly above the fog and was flat-edged, contrary to what Nolan had been thinking.

With such a realization, he didn't know how he gathered the remaining energy, but quickly his legs got to work as he pushed himself up on the platform and dragged himself up with the dagger until he collapsed flatly on the surface of the mountain.

Was it joy, happiness, or relief? Nolan had no words for what he currently felt in his heart.

In the end, the corner of his lips could only spread slightly from what he felt, but exhaustion hit him, and his eyes slowly closed up, only to snap open from the shock.

"Make your choice!" The voice boomed out, and without understanding how, Nolan jerked up to sit upright as he looked up into the distance and found a scene that absolutely shocked his senses.

Right now before him was a long staircase, and on those stairs were small floating balls that slowly moved into the distance, millions in number.

But two balls caught Nolan's attention—two balls brimming with an intense dark aura that stank putridly in direct contrast to the white balls.

His attention was diverted when, just beside him, an altar sprang forth from the ground, and at the top of it was none other than a strange red crown that gently burned with ghastly crimson flames.

Nolan had no idea, but one thing rang through his mind.

If he wore this crown, there would be almost no one who could ever match his strength anymore.

In all of existence.

That was exactly what he felt oozing from the crown.

Limitless power. A level of power that was simply untouchable and unblemished.

And light soon loomed behind the altar as a figure appeared before Nolan—a figure he had sighted a couple of times now.

With his eyes devoid of emotion, the figure looked at Nolan before him, and in the next instant, he stretched his hand towards Nolan, a strange force surrounding his body and forcing him to rise up to his feet.

Now Nolan could better see the strange white balls floating along the stairs and the crown that was just by his side.

"This is the cycle of Samsara, Nolan. And these souls are nothing but mortals going through their after-life journey. "

"Those with white-colored souls will be given the opportunity of reincarnation, while those with dark-colored souls will be cursed with hell..." he said to him as Nolan's eyes turned towards the only two dark balls on the stairs.

"Tell me, Nolan, who are those two dark souls?"