cerim
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Chapter 635 - Debt
🕑 Added 2025-06-05 08:48:43 +0000 UTCPOV Maya Jones
It is all one huge mess. Izzy keeps standing over her sister and holds on to her. The more she learns about her state through her ability, the worse her sobs become. Not once have I seen her like this. She was always so cheery and so mature for her age, yet now she’s like this.
Sophie herself doesn’t seem to have any external wounds, but both Tess and Lily look near dead. Like their lives are hanging by a thread. The wounds they have, these burns, just don’t heal at all while we panic and move between them, trying our best to help.
We try to activate the healing marks Lily left for each of us or use any healing items that might help, but nothing seems to work that well, and the wounds improve just a tiny bit.
Even the twins, though clearly shocked, try to help for a while before I send them to guard the area, since they aren’t helping much here and only make things worse.
I myself have trouble focusing as I see Tess lying there like that. She always knew what to do, took control effortlessly, and seemed completely reliable.
There is someone else who should be like that, but Nathaniel just stands nearby with a face even more empty than usual, more devoid of any emotion. It has been a long time since I saw him this deep in [Focus].
Currently, only Min-Jae stands in front of him, asking question after question, and slowly, Nat begins to explain everything that happened. He speaks deliberately and calmly, as if it all feels distant, sometimes pausing mid-sentence to take a breath.
And gradually, I can see how much it irritates Kim. Minutes pass, and he keeps moving between Tess, Lily, and Sophie, desperate like the rest of us, and then back to Nat, whom he keeps asking even more questions.
Now, even I can see that part of it is him hoping Nat would do more, even though, like the rest of us, he did everything he could the moment they appeared. In some ways, Nat might be more badly wounded than Tess and Lily, yet he still pushed himself until he bled and nearly passed out more than once.
Even now, he overtaxes himself as he sets up additional defenses around us. He doesn’t hesitate to keep buying items from the system shop, but unfortunately, nothing like a healing potion exists, and the other items don’t do any good.
Anything we try just doesn’t work. These burns are similar to [Disintegration] in that they are almost impossible to heal, and the wounds close very slowly due to the girls' natural regeneration also being weakened.
Then there is something entirely different wrong with Sophie. After a long time, Izzy finally lets go of Sophie and sits down. Her eyes are empty as she whispers these terrifying words.
“They broke her mind, and I don’t know if I can put it together.”
It becomes hard for me to breathe, and my eyes grow blurry before I blink. That feeling of lightheadedness hits me, and I have to sit down.
Min-Jae stares at Izzy as if he can’t believe what she just said, before he swears and grabs Nat’s shirt and shakes him while Nat just lets it happen.
“You said you’d be stronger than anyone! You told me to follow you instead!” he screams, with a twisted expression on his face, “You were so confident!”
Nathaniel’s shirt tears a little, but Kim keeps shaking him when he gets no reaction.
"How dare you just stand here now. You lost, you got beat, but don’t fucking give up now! Do something!"
"There is nothing I can do currently," Nathaniel answers with that controlled voice. "Nothing."
Kim screams in a burst of emotion I have never seen from him. He turns and swings his arm toward the rainforest in a wide, violent arc. A massive surge of telekinetic force crashes forward, ripping trees from their roots and sending them flying. The jungle reacts as if struck by a giant, ancient trunks snap like brittle bones, and the ground tears open.
After hours of our friends just lying there like they are about to die, I can understand. If I didn’t have my skill, I would probably do the same, or even worse. But I cannot do it now.
He then starts hitting Nat’s chest and shaking.
There is also nothing he can do.
***
POV Nathaniel
I watch as Min-Jae shakes me. From up close, he looks like he is about to cry. A cold part of me wonders if he is like this because he still has a crush on Tess, or more likely, because three of his friends are lying there nearly dead. Meanwhile, after all the confident words I ever spoke and all the effort I gave, when it truly mattered, none of it meant anything.
He continues to shake me, and I think.
I know I’m not the most talented person here. My only true strength is channeling large amounts of mana or primordial energy, and the effort I put into it. I also realize that I will become stronger than I am now. I know the winner is the one still standing in the end. I know that those people will die by my hand sooner or later, and only my death will stop me from doing it.
Situations like what just happened in Beyond are something I have, to some extent, experienced many times before, and I am confident I can come out on top again.
But it also feels so different now, even through the thick layer of [Focus] that keeps me distant and allows me to think logically.
“They won’t die,” I say, and finally that young boy pauses, that young man I often see like a younger brother.
I take a step toward Izzy and make sure she meets my eyes.
"Sophie can be saved," I say as I kneel in front of her and take one of her hands. "She wouldn't go down so easily. So please, check her shadow and see if Blackie is still in it."
I always knew her as a mentally strong girl. The one who supported us the entire time. It is safe to say that without Izzy, group 4 would be more messed up than it already is, and probably nowhere as bonded. If there is someone who could be called the heart of this group, it is her.
“My abilities don’t work that way, Izzy, and I’m really sorry. But I promise I’ll try to help as much as I can.”
"Please… can you leave me alone?"
"I will."
As I walk away, I stop by Biscuit. When I make sure we are far enough, I ask, "Will you stay with her?"
This time he doesn’t say anything, but before leaving, he keeps pushing his head into my hand until I pet him.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me."
Then, as he leaves, I sit down and once again strain my mind. After escaping Faora’s Mind Palace, it feels like it’s at its limit and screams for rest. Even the healing marks Lily left on me don’t help, but I’ve long known that healing the mind or brain is very different from closing wounds or regenerating limbs.
In addition to that, there are these burns that spread from the points of impact where Luan hit me. They heal very slowly, and they even slow down my natural regeneration. To push against them, I have to use a lot of thermal energy. Even then, the results are poor, not to mention the pain that using it and straining my mind causes.
So for now, I ignore these wounds. I welcome the pain and continue scouting the area around us, setting up more defenses, constantly using my senses to check on the other wounded. Yet there is so little I can do.
Faora. Luan. I think of these names and keep repeating them in my mind.
***
A few hours later, Lily is the first to wake up. Even though she was more damaged than Tess, her body is more durable, and her natural regeneration is far higher. With a loud gasp for air, she regains consciousness and lets out a painful groan, her eyes darting wildly around the area.
It takes her a bit longer to piece things together. She searches for someone, her eyes spotting me and then scanning around until she sees both Tess and Sophie.
When Lily sees Sophie unmoving, something tightens in her face. Her breath catches, and for a moment she stares, frozen in panic.
But her determination takes over. She shifts, dragging her legs under her despite the pain.
She doesn’t even think about taking care of herself. Instead, she moves toward the others. She staggers and almost falls, only to be supported by Maya, who starts telling her to be careful.
I also move closer and reach Tess as Lily begins checking her wounds. Unlike Sophie, she is someone Lily can help.
Her [Disintegration] rises up, starting to clash against the remnants of the wounds caused by Luan. They resist, but Lily pushes harder, erasing the aftereffects and restoring Tess's body where she can.
Sweat beads on her forehead, a mix of effort and strain are evident in every breath she takes. Her hands tremble as she refuses to give in despite the toll it’s clearly taking on her. The burns, cuts, and internal ruptures on Tess begin to fade, although some deeper damage takes longer to respond.
She starts gasping for air when I coat my hand in oscillating mana and cut deep into my shoulder to remove my pale left arm, which I place in front of Lily. With the same hand, I summon golden flames to burn the flesh and heal it.
Down on her knees, Lily keeps looking at me. Even through all the pain, I activate my healing passive and let thermal energy seep through. Slowly, I start regrowing my left arm so I can cut it off again once it's restored.
Lily understands what I’m doing and nods. Grabbing my severed arm, she lets it disappear into [Sacrifice] and begins healing.
Then, for a while, she keeps pushing me to keep giving her something to [Sacrifice] so she can continue. But in doing so, I also push her to keep healing, even in the state she's in. Maya tries to stop us, to get Lily to slow down, but I know she won’t. Over time, I’ve learned to respect her determination, and now I even use it intentionally, pushing her forward even though I know how much it hurts her.
Lily does the same for me. When she looks up, there’s no fear, no pleading, no request for permission. Just a silent command. Again.
She waits for me to regrow pieces of my arm so she can use them to power herself and heal Tess.
It takes hours, but after all of it, Tess looks much better, even though she’s still unconscious.
Lily moves to Sophie, kneeling beside her, hesitant now. Her hands hover above her, then touch gently. But there are no injuries to heal. Just the silence of Sophie’s mind, refusing to return.
There is nothing I can do anymore. This is not something I’m good at. My abilities aren't suited for helping others. In some ways, they’re honed only to make me better at fighting and killing.
And that is what I will do. There’s still a long way ahead, and I’m not where I need to be yet, but I will get there. Step by step. Without pretending I’m something I’m not.
There are debts that require more than screams and blood.
***
Comments
William
Same problem here.
amom 1601
I hate u cerim , i swear u made me buy Patreon because of last chapter,and made me unable to write my on chapter, all curses to u
Jayden Martinez
Death is the laziest method to force someone to grow. It's wasting all the growth and potential of one character to cause a momentary paradigm shift in another. I'm glad the author knows when and how a death should be used, and that its never their first choice
CrypticAnon
It was a cool touch to have Izzy send Nathaniel away.
Wallaby Vonwise
Nat's personal sense of pride is so cool
SirWins
Hmm. Reality check but no deaths? Kind of eh
Claro reyes
At the very least, 3-4 champions and an absolute or 2 would be coming out of angry kittens.
P K
I still am amazed someone survived beyond, I'd pay to get his pov of the tutorial
Ivan Jelenić
At this point, hell is a joke to them. Beyond is the new hell difficulty.
Gavriel
Manifestation level 90.... Destroys beyond. Nat finds his true talent is mind over matter, through manifestation... Becomes absolute before returning to earth... I really wonder how OP the original beyond candidate is that these two are clearly scared of him.
Johnny
I kinda hope those two work too. Love Tes tho
Student of Asacoco University
It’s very simple. Just raise the magnitude of consequences to an unimaginable level, to the point that regret consumes everything about them, to the point that death is preferable to life and then force them into immortality. If she has family, hunt them down and torture them in front of her, if she has a lover make sure to wreck everything about them and have them betray her, if there is anything at all she cherishs, break her mind until you find it and break it in extricating detail. Break her pride, Break her mind, break her body, break her friends, break her family, break her community, break her planet, break her species until extinction with her having to deal with the loneliness of being the final one. Let her suffer in ignorance because she doesn’t deserve to know why
Terri Harris
I still think this is just a glorious set up for Sophie and Nat to work together. Clearly this reveals some areas that they can strengthen one another & in typical Nat fashion make an area of weakness a strength by attacking it. Also, this just creates uber motivation or common cause for getting stronger faster. Earth is paired and will become some other planets victim unless absolutes and champions pop out of the tutorial. Love the nail biting questions and can't wait for more group 4 heroics!
Daniel Golding
Or Izzy
William Johnson
I mean that's easy, he seems to be her protector. Just make him watch while you break her and everything else he holds dear, then kill him.
Andrew Miller
Ok. So. What could possibly be worse than torture? Making someone live forever in pain/sense of wrongness? Isn't that just torture+? Ideas? I'm referring to the last line about debts requiring more than blood and screams (implied torture).
WhiteLeeopard
Except 1st through 3rd floor Nat kept focus on all the time...so it may be more accurate to say he is 3rd floor Nat again as he refuses to drop focus
Brendin Olsen
? Parallax eyes?
P K
Yes, but it's a good end point, and I'm gonna try my best to save up chapters again 😭
P K
TFTC As much a Faora is crazy, I dislike Luan more, he followed her knowing what she'd do and then tried to say it was all her being cruel, I want to see him hurt the most while Faora is just killed near instantly or something, just enough to break her
P K
I'd love to see him get disingranted bit by bit, as much as I hate Faora she's crazy, Luan followed her and then tried to put the blame on Faora by calling it her cruelties as if he didn't follow her, I dislike him even more than Faora
Bob
8 actives and 10 passives to be exact.
Woojoe
Only Manifestation would be epic
Moon Winchester
I think it is time to utilize the one question he is owed
Zaim İpek
This could be a huge skill gain for Lily if she learns how to make mental repairs. She could end up creating a healing skill as powerful as her disintegration skill.
Anotherb Account
“I have a certain set of skills. I will find you. I will hurt you”. - Nat
Andrew
Thank you!
Jughead
That’s such a good idea if this gets adapted into video form. Maybe anytime Nat uses focus more color is lost and less noise is heard
Ken Horne
Nat is going to give himself all the restrictions the cockroach gave him and clear the floor isn't he .
CJ Tamberella
Brutal. I can feel the tension.
Fdrugc
Tftc
Marwolaeth
Man, wanna see them dead already. Hate waiting.
Nimps
What I would love even more than nat getting revenge is soph getting revenge on Faora and lilly disintegrating Luan bit by bit while Nat obliterates someone else.
Death56
The second he let's focus drop 1st through 3rd floor nat is back
Daniel is ŁØNE
I mean realistically its an emotional outburst, they have all seen what happens when Nat is angry and super motivated, I mean they were literally there for the Tournament so they know he takes this type of stuff seriously. Kim likely understands on some level but at the end of the they emotions don't work that way, he can't very well do anything about the beyonders who did this and if he was there he knows that he would have been even more helpless than Nat but the kid needs a target for his emotions and Nat is the most convenient point of release.
Ryan Weaver
She is really, really REALLY not gonna like the find out part
Daniel is ŁØNE
I mean mind manipulators have a bad rep and for good reason, but saying her death wouldn't be sad feels like overkill to me. For one, the emotional impact her death would have on Izzy and Lily would be immense, and by extension Nat and Tess would suffer so even if her death as a character doesn't move you the sadness and instability it would bring is still pretty bad. Furthermore, despite the general bad rep mind manipulators get I find it hard to hate her because most people given her powers and situation would likely be significantly worse than she is dimply due to how constant the temptation and ease of such a solution would be. Also as an individual she is intimately aware of how terrible her abilities can be on the receiving end due to what she nearly did to Izzy in mindblender city and has been constantly said to feel guilty and hesitant about using those abilities despite that being where she is most talented. She has made mistakes and is likely to continue to do so, but she is trying to learn and is constantly emotionally battling her demons to be better and that to me is so very human, I get why people hate her kind but honestly I think she gets a lot of undeserved dislike over a talent and ability that she didn't ask for and is also her best way of keeping herself and those she cares for safe.
Mark Bullock
Crazy, I dread weekends except 4 Sunday.. thinking I might have to just read all the books again.
Gwalmeich
Faora and Luan mentioned being afraid of Earth's abnormal beyond attendee. They should not worry about that person. After all, they already pissed off Nath.
Val the mysterious Jedi
Good spot to leave off before the next set of chapters, Kim needs to get that beyond is full of nats, teases and Lilly's but with whole groups backing them. I'm guessing those two are part of the big guilds in beyond if not leaders.
Little Watchmaker
I think Sophie has partitioned her mind within blackie. I think she will have to use him to rebuild herself. And likely in doing so will end up with a primordial element when she returns.
Gravitea
Thanks for the chapter! I think we keep forgetting that Sophie’s Manipulation is so all-encompassing. Like, it should be similar to Nat’s Manifestation in terms of innate strength. We keep reducing her to ‘mind blender’ but so does she and she limits herself because of it. Hopefully Soph will be able to become a big ol’ monster from this. Hell difficulty is now returning to the level of difficulty things were at in the first 3 levels and I’m here for it.
Max
Tftc.. thursday again..
Florin Cojocaru
I love the tone of the chapter , saw it in black and white and mute . Thank you !
Nerø
I bet Nat will find a way to track the signatures of those beyonders from Faora and Luan's round/planet. He will then hunt all of them. Hoping he would catch up to them and fuck them up before they reach their forced return tho..
Edmund Dillon
Tftc!!, I cant wait for Angry Kittens to get there lick back💯
Adrian Rake
That vengeance in his heart. It is an epic chapter.
The Sandman
Ugh I need moreeeee
Karlos Juarez
Great chapter, also if Sophie died i wouldn't be sad. Personally I feel all hate towards mind manipulators is justifiable
Pierre-clément LAMBRIX
Blood dept. I love it.
Audrey WJ
Poor sophie and I can honestly say I forgot about blackie and Sophie's logic cores and other mental things she works on, I'm sure he has something like a back up hard drive for herself, seems like something a mind mage would have within a bond, logic core, mind pocket or construct, you know just some kind of mental imprint to restore themselves.
Audrey WJ
I thought Nat was scary already but here in these desperate moments he is truly terrifying with his convictions and I can't wait to see them realized.
Snake With An Aurora Borealis
They'll suffer.
vEnviouz
TFTC!!!
Lizy Flore
*SCREAMS* the only thing I’m hoping for is that Sophie rebuilds herself and becomes a monstrous mind mage in doing so
trainedturtle
chills.
frankie doerr
Damn damn this arc is already crazy see you Sunday ladies and gentlemen
Cazqa
"There are debts that require more than screams and blood." CHILLS ALL OVER damn! Yea i gotta ignore the whole chapter next week. see you soon bois! tftc
Nerø
Holy shitt. Sophh... No...
Nerø
FINALLYYYYYY
Andrey Barragan
Thanks for the chapter
