Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking
Chapter 653: Architect’s Remains (End)

Chapter 653: Architect’s Remains (End)

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With the key in his hands, all Cedric needed to do was to grant himself the permissions to bypass the maze, and his business here was done, but he wasn’t in a hurry.

Cedric released a sigh as he now looked at the empty chair. The remains of the architect dissipated like a dust cloud as soon as he retrieved the key from it.

It’s like it only lasted to fulfill this last obsession, to pass down the key to Cedric—the human he had foreseen coming. How he even knew that it would be him remains a mystery to Cedric himself, but he’s not in the mood to wonder about that right now.

With his disappearance, it’s safe to say that the last of the Divine Bloods were no more. Actually, they’ve been extinct for a long time, but it felt more real now that the remains of Architect Columbus were gone.

Cedric allowed himself to mourn, not the Divine Bloods as a whole, but for the architect who had earned his respect and had done something that’s considered heresy and traitorous to his own kin.

Doing the right thing isn’t always easy. By anchoring The Null here, he indirectly saved Cedric and his people too, so he deserved his respect.

After giving him a moment of silence, Cedric sighed and moved on.

He sat on the architect’s seat. He held the key over it, and suddenly, the table lit up with a mixture of gold and silver.

The lights formed complicated shapes and matrices that started out jumbled, then later became recognizable to him.

[Master Key detected.]

[Would you like to:]

[1. Activate/Deactivate the Maze?]

[2. Access Administrator’s Privilege?]

[3. Initiate a shutdown?]

These were Cedric’s options. And seeing this, he couldn’t help but show a wry smile.

’You really have too much trust in your vision, Architect. What if I wasn’t the one who came here first? What if it’s a bad person instead who happened to understand everything just like I do? Wouldn’t all of your work be for naught, then? ’

The fact that he even left the option to shut down this whole thing in here showed just how much the architect trusted his own calculation. It’s like he never even doubted the certainty of his vision at all.

Shaking his head, Cedric ignored the third option entirely. Instead, he went for the second option, accessing the administrator’s privileges.

From here, he had a couple of options. But instead of exploring every single one to figure out what they do, he focused on what he came here for.

He registered his name as one of the moderators of the maze, allowing him to completely bypass the maze whenever he wanted to. He didn’t touch anything else in fear of making any unwanted changes in the maze.

Cedric still had no idea how this whole thing even worked. Sure, the architect explained in simple words, but he knew that there were more technical details in there, ones that he might not understand even if he were to spend decades learning them.

And with the threat presented by The Null, he’d be the sinner of his own kin if he had mistakenly done something that ruined the whole suppression effort left by the architect.

Making himself one of the moderators required a drop of his blood, which he unhesitatingly presented by nicking one of his fingers. Once the system analyzed his blood and entered it on the list, the privilege was now available to him.

The moment this change was made, Cedric himself felt it. With just a single thought, as if the maze could sense his intentions, he was taken out of the room he was in and was transported directly to the place where the exit point was located.

Cedric just blinked, and all of a sudden, he’s no longer in the same room.

The moment he saw the exit point—a stable spatial passage that led to the vast world of the Primitive Universe with endless promises of adventures and vistas to see—Cedric felt a sense of surrealness for a moment.

It was just there, waiting for him to use it.

He didn’t sense any traps, hidden tricks, or any falsifications anywhere. It’s real, and it’s ready. All he had to do was to walk right in, and he’d end up on the other side that easily.

But despite the apparent ease and simplicity of everything, Cedric didn’t go. Instead, he turned his back on him and returned to the architect’s room with a thought.

It was tempting, yes. Especially since it was the very thing he’d been searching for all along. All he literally had to do was to use it, and he could start his adventures.

But Cedric also swore to complete his synchronization with the Primitive Universe first, which meant entering the Immortal Level in his life evolution. And he’s very close to that goal. Since he had already spent many years with this synchronization, he might as well complete it first before moving on.

Cedric retrieved the master key and placed it in his Inner World for safekeeping.

Once he removed the key, he felt the entire maze shifting. The walls that hid the astrolabe rose once more, and the astrolabe itself resumed its perpetual motion.

The maze returned to its original state and purpose, as it should be. Cedric was glad that he didn’t make any arbitrary changes within.

He didn’t leave right away, either. Instead, he stayed in that room, made himself comfortable, and began reading the books that the architect left behind.

These were included among the things the architect left behind for him. Architect Columbus was one of the brightest minds of the Divine Bloods, and Cedric would be a fool if he were to take all of this knowledge for granted.

If he could inherit even a fraction of the architect’s knowledge, it would be immensely helpful to him, especially once he began exploring the vast world of the primitive universe.

Additionally, the good architect also left him tangible wealth he’d yet to access. Who knows what’s in there? But like what was mentioned earlier, Cedric wasn’t in a hurry.

He had time to study, and since he could come and go as he pleased, he could take it easy.

**

Cedric spent at least a whole month locked up in that room, and he wasn’t even close to being done reading all the books. There was a lot, after all, and most of them contained profound knowledge that made his head throb due to how complicated they were.

It’s like he’s back at school all over again. But he didn’t hate it. Learning is good for him, after all.

That said, he needed a break. So, he left the maze and returned to his temporary base nearby, stationed just outside the reach of the Null.

As soon as he got out, Cedric had to pause because of his strength rushing back to him. It’s like he regained everything that he’s been missing unknowingly all at once, and it felt momentarily overwhelming.

But, just as always, Cedric adjusted pretty quickly. He even felt giddy since it had been a while since he felt this strong. The Null was really awful.

After returning his clone to the temporary base, Cedric sealed off the area and returned his focus to his main body.

He opened his eyes and stood up. The long period of inactivity made his joints stiff, causing even his little movements to emit a satisfying pop. He stretched his body for a bit before stepping out of his seclusion chamber to get some fresh air.

All of the stress, revelations, and studying made him feel a little spent. Now, he just wants to relax, spend time with his family, and reconnect with his home.

While he’s here, Cedric also decided to check up on the Void Slave.

No, his slave seal hasn’t been eroded. It’s still there, intact and solid. The Void Slave remained loyal to him.

But he did remember it saying that it could transport Cedric to the nearest civilization once upon a time. He didn’t think much of it back then, only that it was convenient, but after all of his experiences in the death zone, this thought had been buried, and he only recalled it now after everything he’d been through.

With this concern, he asked for clarifications. And well, the answers he got didn’t invalidate all of the hard work he’d done so far.

As it turns out, this option can only be used once. The Void Slave can indeed send him out to the nearest human civilization, but it comes with a great cost that might even risk a ’reset,’ which couldn’t even be considered as an option for Cedric.

It’s a one-way out. If Cedric wants to return, it’ll be up to him. It wouldn’t have been difficult since it’s easy to enter the death zone but difficult to get out, but he couldn’t use this option again.

So, in the end, it was still wise of him to search for alternatives.