NOVEL FROG Chapter 414: The Price of Immortality
Lana is immensely wealthy. As a rank 13 immortal with mastery over numerous universal laws, she has amassed an extraordinary amount of energy and precious treasures. Rarely did she spend any of it, and with no enemies to contend with, she never needed to exhaust herself in battle. Consequently, her wealth has deepened over time, forming a nearly inexhaustible reservoir.
However, having deep pockets doesn't always mean having an open hand. In fact, many wealthy individuals pinch pennies more than the average person. Perhaps it's precisely this penny-pinching that helped them build their fortunes in the first place; this is true not only among immortals but also among mortals.
This phenomenon can be observed in many families: the grandfather builds a fortune through hard work and careful management; the children inherit the wealth and become more generous with it; eventually, the grandchildren, who did nothing to earn it, squander it until it all vanishes. This is the classic 'shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations' cycle—a tale as old as time, repeating itself among mortals countless times.
For immortals, with their infinite lifespans, this cycle never occurs; the rich only get richer. Lana would never die, nor would she ever pass her wealth on to anyone else—her fortune would simply keep piling up like a snowball rolling downhill, growing larger with every passing moment.
That said, Lana is far from being a tightwad. She never thinks twice about spending her energy on things she finds fun or worthwhile. For instance, helping Mike has been a rewarding investment—not just in terms of valuable knowledge and data she gathered from observing him but also in gaining the favor of both Luther and Rachel. Unlike some other immortals who hold their wealth tighter than a miser holds his last coin, Lana knows when to open her purse strings.
However, Mike's breakthrough to the Immortal Saint realm, equivalent to rank 13, comes with costs that are through the roof, offering little bang for the buck. Lana had already gathered all the data she needed, and the Immortal Saint realm wasn't likely to bring anything new to the table. Moreover, Luther never anticipated that she would carry the weight of Mike's ascension to rank 13—asking her to bankroll it is simply beyond the pale. The resources required for Mike’s advancement are staggering—far more than what would be needed to help a thousand others reach rank 13. It was an overwhelming demand.
Luckily for Lana, she didn't have to go cap in hand asking for help. Luther arrived just in the nick of time, right after Mike started his next phase of closed-door cultivation, bringing all the resources she needed to back his progression into the Immortal Saint realm.
…
Time passed. In what felt like the blink of an eye, 500 trillion years went by. During that period, Mike emerged from his cultivation chamber only once to replenish his resources. After that, he returned to his solitary practice and did not resurface for hundreds of trillions of years.
Today, however, a horrifying aura spread throughout the entire world.
Lana's world, being rank 13, is vast beyond imagination—so massive that mortals can't even begin to wrap their heads around it. To put it in layman's terms, the average rank 11 world stretches across one to two light-years in diameter, though there can be huge variations—some are just a drop in the bucket, while others are immeasurably larger. In fact, rank 11 worlds can range from just a single light-year to trillions of light-years. Rank 11 worlds, much like rank 11 immortals, are as varied as night and day within their rank. A world with only two complete laws is still rank 11, just as one with a trillion complete laws is.
In rank 12 worlds, size is mostly irrelevant. They can expand as much as needed—trillions, quadrillions, or even quintillions of light-years. Simply put, the size is not an issue for worlds of this rank. The same is true for rank 13 worlds. They can expand or contract space at will. Even if a world of rank 13 appears as a mere dot in the endless void, its internal expanse could be far greater than what its outer appearance suggests.
Space, much like time, is relative. Just because something appears small from the outside doesn't mean it's small on the inside. In this universe, space can be stretched infinitely—one centimeter could be expanded into millions of light-years if needed. Of course, the more you stretch space, the more energy it demands.
However, to truly grasp this concept, one must understand the nature of space itself.
There are two fundamental types of space: universal space and subordinate space.
Universal space forms the foundation of this universe itself, operating according to the universe's laws. In Rachel's universe, space is infinitely elastic, meaning it can be stretched in any direction with any intensity without risking a universal space rupture. Of course, stretching space requires vast amounts of energy. The more space is stretched, the more energy it takes to stretch it further. While theoretically infinite, the ability to stretch space is practically limited by available energy.
Even rank 14 beings cannot stretch this universe to the point of rupture. While they have other means to destroy the entire universe, stretching it until it breaks simply isn't on the cards. This is because Rachel has modified the universal laws to make them resistant to stretching.
Gravity is a function of space’s elasticity. Massive objects passively exert energy on space, causing it to stretch and curve. However, this passive force alone is insufficient to expand space significantly; it merely bends it. Not all universes permit infinite elasticity, though. In some, exerting too much force could rupture the space itself, which would almost certainly lead to the destruction of the entire universe.
So, what is a universe? At its core, it is a shield against chaos. Reality is filled with chaos, and the universe exists to keep that chaos at bay, allowing worlds within it to thrive. While there is some chaos within a universe, it pales in comparison to the chaos outside. Even a rank 13 being would perish within moments in the chaos beyond the universe, while a rank 10 immortal could comfortably survive the chaos within.
A rupture in universal space would allow the chaos outside to seep in, ultimately leading to the destruction of everything, reducing all to nothingness. The destruction of a universe is irreversible. Only a rank 14 being could restore life and civilization to such a shattered reality by planting the seed of a new universe. In fact, most charges of reality are filled with nothing but chaos, lacking any universe at all.
The second type of space is artificial space, created and sustained by complete laws. Rank 10 and 11 worlds cannot access universal space and must rely on artificial space. These spaces are independent of the universe and vary in size, structure, and rules depending on the specific laws governing them. Rank 12 worlds, however, do have access to universal space and thus can theoretically expand indefinitely.
The laws governing space and time are not immutable. Universal laws of time and space apply only to a single universe. The creation contains infinite numbers and types of universes, each with its own unique set of laws. Some universes may have lifeforms that exist outside of time, moving only in space. Others may lack space altogether, allowing for movement only in time. Such universes are baffling to those accustomed to time and space as constants.
In universes without time, the concept of death is nonexistent. Beings there remain fixed, unchanging. Time is the mother of change, and without it, nothing can alter. Inhabitants of such universes are literally timeless, existing both infinitely long ago and infinitely into the future, all at once; only rank 14s can even observe them to confirm their existence.
Without universal laws of space, things become equally bizarre. In such a universe, creatures have no concept of location or distance. They exist everywhere and nowhere at once. To an outside observer, they might as well not exist. However, despite the strangeness of these universes, life can still flourish—though it is much more complex and far less efficient; this is why most universes include laws of space and time in some shape or form.
…
The horrifying aura that had spread was none other than Mike himself, who had finally ascended to the realm of the Immortal Saint. However, even after achieving this monumental breakthrough, he did not bother emerging from his closed-door cultivation. His resources were not yet depleted, and without even acknowledging his recent accomplishment, he immediately began cultivating toward the next rank: Immortal God, equivalent to rank 14.
Mike had no idea if reaching the Immortal God realm was even possible. According to his calculations, the only way to attain it would be to tap into a source of infinite energy. One simply cannot reach rank 14 without access to an endless tributary of power. Infinity cannot be achieved through one's own efforts alone—it would literally take an infinite amount of time.
But Mike no longer cared how long it might take. His mind had long since decayed and rotted. He was now little more than a natural structure, mindlessly performing martial arts poses. No longer a sentient being, he had become something akin to a programmed automaton, driven only by the remnants of his martial instincts.
Most immortals are well aware of what the simple passage of time can do to their minds, and have therefore taken countermeasures—like saving their will and resetting their state of mind whenever necessary. Unfortunately for Mike, those spells didn't work on him for some reason—perhaps due to the peculiarities of his physical body. Over time, the river of time slowly eroded his will and desires, leaving nothing behind. This was the price he paid for the incredible, but ultimately costly, big demon physique.