Deciding to cheat his way out, Maximus began deducing alternative methods to pass the trial.
With the remaining hundreds of millions of strands of causality in his possession, a method quickly formed in his mind.
"Hibernation?"
Much like how he completed the Supreme Law of Void trial, he considered hibernating his consciousness while creating preprogrammed instructions for his body.
However, this time, because he had to experience the life of every being, he couldn't rely on monotonous commands for the system to follow.
Fortunately, the solution to his problem was easier than he expected.
By hibernating and keeping his consciousness sealed, he could allow his core of origin to experience the lives of every being in the Aeon Plane.
Since the life of each creature he would inhabit began at birth, his origin could learn and adapt even without a conscious mind.
Each new life would start at the beginning, instinctively learning how to move and survive.
Although he wouldn't gain the benefits because his consciousness was absent, he also wouldn't be harmed since his 'self' would remain in hibernation.
Having found the solution, Maximus quickly began his preparations.
Creating a separate space within his core of origin, Maximus sealed his consciousness, programming it to awaken only after the trial was complete.
Not wanting to lose the trial's valuable experiences, he created another space to store the memories his origin would gather.
Once he was more confident in the future, he could relive those experiences personally.
As his current life ended, a new one began with Maximus's consciousness began to blur until it was fully sealed.
...
In the Trial Space, the Supreme Law of Origin observed Maximus's decision with a sigh.
"So you still choose this path..."
Though it understood the near impossibility of the trial it had set, it still wished Maximus could have completed it differently.
If he personally experienced the origin of every life in the Aeon Plane, the impending Dark Disaster would naturally pale in comparison.
Sighing with complicated feelings, the virtual trial where Maximus resided began to progress rapidly.
With each passing second in the real world, an epoch unfolded inside the trial space.
Maximus's origin lived through one life after another, experiencing hundreds of thousands, then millions, and eventually billions of epochs.
Although Maximus had initially been focused on monetary rewards, the real purpose of this trial was to contract with an Origin of Law.
Now, standing before the strongest of all laws—the Origin of Law itself—how could he not feel tempted?
However, recalling the reaction of his innate ability, the True Path, Maximus hesitated.
Was this the right step toward achieving his ultimate ambition?
Was this what he had worked so hard for throughout this trial?
"What's wrong?" The Supreme Law of Origin asked, puzzled by Maximus's hesitation.
"I'm a little undecided."
"I'm not forcing you. If you want to tread your path alone, you don't need to bind with me," the Supreme Law remarked calmly.
"Is that so—"
"But I must remind you," it interrupted, "a contract with an Origin of Law is a crucial part of what lies ahead in the future."
"Your family, friends, enemies—all of them will be swept up in the chaos of uncertainties. Without this qualification, you will be left behind."
"You may possess power or abilities that surpass even us, but without this qualification, you won't be able to do anything to help them."
"What do you mean?" Maximus frowned, feeling the weight of the statement.
A qualification? A chaos of uncertainties? Without this, he can't help?
"You'll understand in time," the Supreme Law replied cryptically.
"Can't you just explain now?"
"Even I am uncertain; However, I believe it has something to do with the Overlords and the Dark Disaster looming over the Aeon Plane."
Hearing this, Maximus felt his options narrowed.
While he didn't completely trust the Supreme Law of Origin, he knew it was better to be prepared than not.
Besides, binding with the strongest Supreme Law wasn't exactly a loss.
As for the burden that came with it? He didn't care.
Turning toward the Supreme Law of Origin, Maximus stretched out his hand.
"I'm glad you chose wisely..."
Merging into his hand, his body, and even the depths of his very being, the contract between Maximus and the Supreme Law of Origin began to take form.