Chapter 83 - 83

Chapter 83: Chapter 83 Chapter 83

As the hours passed outside the Dungeon of the Seven Eternities, the finale approached. Noboru, emerging from the dungeon, noticed Hiroto and the four other adventurers who had survived. They had chosen to hang back, allowing him to tackle the challenges of the floors that drained him, as they found themselves on the final floor—the conclusion of their eternally exhausting journey, the seventh floor.

Noboru had observed that from the fourth floor onwards, an expanse where the very concept of vastness was redefined, the journey had been one of both awe and revelation for him. He couldn't help but recall the staggering realization that, despite the increasing challenges, the scale of the dungeons from the fourth floor onward remained constant—a vastness so profound, a magnitude of infinity that defied all conventional means of measurement or comprehension. It was akin to an inaccessible cardinal in the realm of set theory, a magnitude of infinity so vast that no operations of infinity could reach or surpass it.

If one were to use basic operations like taking unions, power sets, or suprema and apply them to any of the floors below the fourth—so from the third to the first, which were different sets or sizes of infinities, essentially smaller cardinals—no matter how many times these basic operations were applied, they could not reach the size, complexity, or mere concept of what the fourth floor represented.

As they stepped onto the final floor, Noboru's gaze was immediately drawn to a figure that seemed both out of place and yet eerily fitting within the dungeon's ultimate echelon. Hiroto, Emiko's brother and Noboru's self-proclaimed rival, stood with a resolve that belied his earlier uncertainty, his eyes fixed on the daunting challenge that lay before them.

Noboru sighed. "After all I've faced, the trials, the endless battles... I stand here, at the very edge of victory, the same as the hero who wielded the legendary relics," Noboru mused, his voice a mixture of contemplation and determination.

Suddenly, the final challenge made its appearance, and it was nothing short of awe-inspiring—a giant dragon, its scales shimmering with a spectral light that seemed to dance between the realms of the tangible and the ethereal. But this was not just any dragon; it was the guardian of the dungeon core, the very heart of the Dungeon of the Seven Eternities. Noboru's mind flashed back to what Emiko had told him a few days ago at Baron Akira's residence.

Flashback

"Noboru-kun, you wanted to know about the hero who wielded the four legendary relics that the kingdoms now keep as a deterrent, right?" Emiko asked.

"Yes, Emiko, do you have time to tell me?" Noboru responded with his own question.

"Yes. You see, the hero died here in Terravale. There was a dungeon, a dungeon that the hero entered in a display of hubris. This dungeon, called the Dungeon of Seven Eternities, is on the island near the Duke of the North's Domain, outside of Terravale. It is a structure so vast it's said the first three floors are like Aeritha, Ignarock, and Aquora in that order, and then the other four floors each represent Terravale," she explained, as Noboru's eyebrows raised in surprise, making this dungeon a structure that defied all conventional measures of size and notion. Noboru was well-versed in mathematics, thanks to his grandfather's journey to a world where science reigned supreme—a world where the powers he and others possessed would be considered fantastical bedtime stories for children.

Because of this he brushed up on maths ever since that sage made him confused by introducing higher level maths with this Noboru learned and mastered everything about the concept of set theory in a few hours, where each kingdom in this prison realm made to hold him as Noboru saw it, or more accurately, each realm, represented a set in this theory. The first, Aeritha, was akin to a structure of countable infinity. The next, Ignarock, was akin to a structure of uncountable infinity. Aquora was an even larger uncountable infinity, and Terravale was something so vast that no matter what operations were performed on these kingdoms, they would never reach the size, complexity, or concept of Terravale, just like an inaccessible cardinal. Noboru confirmed upon reaching here that Terravale was an inaccessible cardinal structure. Noboru was brought out of his thoughts as Emiko continued to explain.

"The hero of legends made it to the final floor but then encountered a dragon. A dragon that destroyed him. He technically cleared the dungeon by making it to the top but failed on the last floor to obtain the core," she said.

Flashback end

Noboru's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and recollection as he stood before the the final boss of this dungeon. The ethereal dragon, guardian of the Dungeon of the Seven Eternities, loomed before him, a spectral behemoth that seemed to transcend the boundaries of reality itself. Noboru knew this was more than a battle of swords and sorcery; it was a test of intellect and understanding, a puzzle wrapped in the enigma of infinity.

He couldn't afford to share his insights with Hiroto or the others. They were rivals, after all, not companions on this journey. Each harbored their own ambitions, their own reasons for braving the dungeon's depths to gain a noble title for Hiroto Emiko had told Noboru it was because Hiroto wanted to leave his father's shadow to gain his own rank, The others Noboru didn't know why but he didn't doubt that atleast one was there for selfish intent. seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Noboru knew his advantage lay in his unique understanding of the challenges they faced, an understanding rooted in the complex realms of mathematics and set theory that his grandfather had introduced him to.

As Noboru steeled himself for the battle ahead, his thoughts drifted to the daunting concepts he grappled with. "The first three floors of this dungeon, they were like stepping stones, they were like the first three kingdoms in my journey" he mused, his gaze never leaving the dragon. "Aeritha, Ignarock, Aquora... each presented its own infinity, a set with boundaries I could easily perceive and conquer. Countable, then uncountable, each vast in its own right but finite to the mind's eye."

"But then came the fourth four like Terravale, the fourth floor and the floor beyond. Here, the rules changed. It was like stepping into a realm where the very concept of size lost its meaning. If I were to explain it, it's like... imagine you have a library that contains every book ever written, and then some. Now, imagine adding another book to that library. The library's size doesn't change; it's still infinite. But what if there's a library so vast that even if you added all the books from the first library, it still wouldn't make a difference? That's the kind of infinity we're dealing with here. A size so vast, operations like adding or combining sets—what mathematicians call unions, or even power sets—don't even begin to scratch its surface. It's an inaccessible cardinal, a level of infinity that stands apart, unreachable by mere additions or combinations."

Noboru's understanding of these concepts had been his lantern in the dark, guiding him through the labyrinthine complexity of the dungeon. It was this insight, this ability to perceive the vastness they faced in a way that others could not, that had brought him to this final floor.

"The hero of legend, he reached this point, faced this guardian, and yet he failed," Noboru reflected, his resolve hardening. "But his failure is not my destiny. This dragon, this guardian of the core, it's the ultimate embodiment of the dungeon's challenge. It's not just a beast to be slain; it's a puzzle to be solved, a riddle wrapped in the enigma of infinite vastness."

With a deep breath, Noboru shifted his stance, readying himself for the confrontation. His journey through the Dungeon of the Seven Eternities, his silent musings on the nature of infinity, had all led to this moment. He didn't just aim to defeat the dragon; he sought to unravel the mystery of the dungeon itself, to prove that even the most unfathomable depths could be navigated, understood, and overcome.

As the dragon roared, a sound that seemed to echo across the boundless floors of the dungeon, Noboru charged forward, his mind as sharp as his blade, his spirit unyielding but stopped when he noticed the orb in the dragon centre with was like the floor core but bigger.

"That's the Dungeon core!" Noboru said loudly as he noticed Hiroto and another adventurer heard he quickly quieted down as Noboru didn't wanted to give information. 'In order to beat the dungeon one must destroy it that's what the hero failed to do.' he thought as his eyes scanned the core they widened.

"It can't be," Noboru says As his eyes widened in realization, the true nature of the dungeon core revealed itself to him. It wasn't just the physical heart of the Dungeon of the Seven Eternities; it was a manifestation of an inaccessible cardinal structure, embodying the concept of infinity in a form that was palpable, yet beyond the grasp of ordinary comprehension.

The core, pulsating with a rhythm that seemed to synchronize with the very fabric of the dungeon's vastness, exuded an aura of boundless complexity. It was as if the core itself contained within it layers upon layers of infinite sets, each transcending the other in a hierarchy of endlessness that defied logical progression. This was no mere physical object to be destroyed; it was a paradox, a puzzle that encapsulated the essence of the inaccessible cardinal.

Noboru realized that the hero of legend had failed not because he lacked strength or courage, but because he had approached the core as a mere physical challenge. The true test lay in understanding the core's nature, in recognizing that it was not a barrier to be overcome with brute force, but a riddle to be solved through insight.

To Noboru, the core resembled a vast, multidimensional library, much like the one he had imagined before, but infinitely more complex. Each "book" in this library was not made of paper and ink but of possibilities, concepts, and realities, each one an infinite set on its own. And yet, the library as a whole was something even greater, an entity for which the addition or removal of a single book—or even an infinite number of books—would not alter its incomprehensible totality.

This realization hit Noboru with the force of a revelation. The dungeon, with its floors and the core at its heart, was not a place of physical dimensions but a representation of mathematical abstractions made manifest. To conquer it, one had to engage not just with the sword but with the mind, understanding the principles that governed its very existence.

With this understanding, Noboru approached the core not as a warrior but as a scholar, his weapon not his blade but his newfound comprehension of the infinite. He knew that to "defeat" the core, he must acknowledge its nature, respect its complexity, and find the key to its unraveling within the principles of set theory that had guided him thus far.

As he stood before the core, the spectral dragon guardian seemed to recognize the change in him, its fierce demeanor shifting to one of watchful anticipation. Noboru, with a deep sense of clarity, began to mentally deconstruct the layers of infinity before him, seeking the path to harmonize with the core's inaccessible vastness.

This was not a battle in the traditional sense but a dialogue between the mind of a man and the abstract essence of infinity. Noboru's journey through the Dungeon of the Seven Eternities had been a preparation for this moment, a series of lessons in the guise of challenges, leading him to this ultimate test of understanding.

However, compared to the power Noboru held, this dungeon core was like a tiny speck of dust. No, not even that. The power was so minuscule that even using quantum mechanics to describe it would be a far stretch, as it paled in comparison to the reserves of Omni Energy Noboru possessed and generated. It would be considered non-existent, lost in the pool, never to be found.

Noboru stepped up after some time of watching the adventurers and Hiroto fight the dragon only to be completely destroyed. They wanted the glory of defeating the dragon while he was analyzing the dragon, the core, and what made the dungeon tick. They tried to take care of the dragon. Noboru watched as they lay on the ground defeated as the Dragon let out a roar of rage at being attacked. No, attacked was too much of an exaggeration. Touch even that was an exaggeration. Let's just say it was made of being disturbed so it made its way to the defeated adventurers and Hiroto. Its eyes turning a glowing raging red as it went for the strike, but then suddenly the Dragon felt a pain all over itself as its physical form was blown far away from the dungeon core, leaving it unguarded. The adventurers looked to see Noboru with his arm extended where the dragon was.

"Impossible! He defeated the dragon with a single punch," one of the adventurers said in a shocked voice.

"But how? We were trying our best," said another.

"That dragon, its power, it was like facing Terravale itself and he beat it with a single punch.

Hiroto and another adventurer laid there on their backs, frozen in shock at seeing the dragon that took them out like nothing being defeated like nothing. Hiroto's eyes widened as he watched the core pull parts of the dungeon to itself, trying to reform the dragon. "Noboru! The dragon is regathering its strength. You need to destroy the core before he regenerates fully."

Noboru turned and faced Hiroto and the adventurers with a look that conveyed that he was not worried in the slightest. With a single punch to the air, the dragon parts were blown back from the mere air waves generated by the punch, shocking them.

"How?"

"How did he do that?"

"That was the dragon that defeated us with a single hit. How could he blow the dragon parts away with the airwaves from a single punch?"

Noboru walked towards the Dungeon core and placed his hands on it. "It seems like you won't stop unless I complete whatever you want me to do." Noboru said as he sighed and lifted it with a single hand. "But I'm not your toy or anyone's in that fact, so I'm ending this here." Noboru says as he felt the power, the infinities, boundless complexity, everything, even the layers upon layers of infinite sets, each transcending the other in a hierarchy of endlessness that defied logical progression in the core enter him, as he absorbed the orb turning it into nothing.

To others, what would have felt something incomprehensibly big was nothing but a small tiny bit of power, knowledge, and more that Noboru possessed. 'Is this all?' Noboru thought, quite underwhelmed by the power. 'I know I could have destroyed the core if I wanted to; my power defies logic but I would have had to use Omni Energy which would have alerted Terravaleans since they would sense another energy not earth aura or aura in general which would push back the plan a few steps...' Noboru stopped his thoughts and turned to the adventurers and Hiroto, the dungeon core's disappearance signaling the end of the dungeon's existence. "Now then, what's going to happen now?" as Noboru said this he felt trembling and watched as the dungeon started to collapse into itself.

"I guess I should display a bit of my power," Noboru said to himself as he let out not even a percentage of his power using just his aura alone. It was enough to halt the dungeon's collapse in its tracks. The sheer magnitude of Noboru's energy created a stabilizing force field around them, an invisible dome of protection that shielded Hiroto and the other adventurers from the crumbling structure.

The size of the dungeon, akin to the vastness of multiple inaccessible cardinals in set theory stacked upon each other, dwarfed even the grandest of cathedrals or the largest of castles. Its towering walls and endless corridors, designed to embody the concept of infinity, were now being held at bay by Noboru's mere presence. The power he exuded was not just immense; it was fundamentally different, operating on principles that seemed to transcend the conventional laws of magic and physics within the dungeon.

As the adventurers looked around, they could see the walls, once threatening to close in and crush everything in their path, now frozen in place. The air, previously filled with the sound of crumbling stone and the roar of collapsing chambers, was now eerily silent, save for the soft hum of Noboru's energy.

"Impossible," said an adventurer who struggled to even comprehend what he saw, his mind full of fear, having to fight such a being for a noble title in the tournament. 'I can't even quit; it's either face him or die. Mommy help me I should have stayed on the farm.'

"Is... Is he a god?" Hiroto stuttered out, still lying on the ground, turning his head to look at Noboru, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear, awe, and confusion. The other adventurers, too, were speechless, their gazes fixed on Noboru, who stood calmly amidst the chaos, a serene island in a stormy sea.

"We have to face him," said another.

"This... This isn't fair; I just wanted to fight other humans for a noble rank," said Kane as he remembered how confident he was before seeing this display of power.

Two other adventurers just stayed there in silence, afraid.

The dungeon, which had been a place of trials and tribulations for so many, a structure that had claimed the lives of countless adventurers and had stood as a testament to the hero of legend's failure, was now being subdued by a single individual. Noboru's power, his understanding of the very fabric of reality, allowed him to interact with the dungeon in a way that no one else could.

As the reality of the situation dawned on Hiroto and the others, they realized that Noboru was not just another adventurer. He was something else entirely, a being whose power and understanding went beyond the bounds of their world. The dungeon, with all its complexities and challenges, was nothing more than a puzzle for Noboru, a puzzle he had now solved not with brute force, but with an unparalleled mastery over the very essence of existence. With a single roar, Noboru's aura crushed the dungeon whole, destroying all the layers, the floors, turning it into nothing but a memory. They all fell onto the ground where the dungeon was.

Noboru looked at Hiroto and the other adventurers. "I believe that this is the end. I hope you all luck in the tournament." Noboru says, walking away, leaving not just a sick bunch of adventurers but also the audience themselves.