Chapter 627: Transcending Perfection (3)
As mentioned, Dark Matter was perhaps the only theory or concept that existed on the same level as Quantum but didn’t actually fall under any of its categories.
It was as if they each had their own separate paths, which made it perfect for what Ash was trying to achieve.
Back then, when Ash had granted himself power over Quantum, he was knowledgeable but far from omniscient.
He didn’t understand all the intricacies of that power and had no way of knowing that complete mastery would make him virtually invincible.
Now, however, he knew exactly what he was getting into.
From what he had learned, Dark Matter dealt with cosmic structures—something far below the stage Ash and the others had reached.
But that wasn’t what drew Ash’s interest to it in the first place.
Ash slowly opened his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Nia tilted her head, noticing the shift in his demeanor.
"...Find something interesting?" she asked.
Before Ash could answer, Elysia let out a soft, elegant chuckle from his other side. She glanced at him with a knowing look, her eyes glinting with gentle amusement.
"Of course he found something," she said teasingly. "However, I don’t know if it will suffice."
Ash let out a low laugh at Elysia’s comment. He turned his head slightly to look at both of them before speaking.
"Well, I will be trying out Dark Matter."
The moment the words left his mouth, Nia blinked.
In that instant, a flood of knowledge surged directly into her mind.
She didn’t need to ask for an explanation — the full concept of Dark Matter, along with its theoretical properties and cosmic implications, was instantly transferred to her through their bond.
Nia’s dark eyes widened slightly as she absorbed the information. She remained silent for a few seconds, processing it, before she finally spoke.
Her tone carried clear confusion.
"How can something on the level of cosmic structures be useful... or as powerful as Quantum?" she asked, looking up at Ash.
"Dark Matter influences gravity on a massive scale, but it’s still something that operates on a physical, universal level. Quantum already lets you control reality itself on a much deeper scale. So what’s the point?"
Elysia also looked at Ash with quiet interest, clearly waiting for his reasoning as well.
Ash shrugged lightly, his reddish-purple eyes calm as he looked at Nia.
"While that may be true," he said, "there’s something about it that stands out to me."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"Dark Matter isn’t just a theory. It’s something that was actually observed in the mortal world. Unlike Quantum mechanics, which became well understood over time, Dark Matter remains mostly unknown."
That was the biggest reason Ash chose Dark Matter.
The Unknown wasn’t always a good thing, but for Ash, it was never bad.
He actually enjoyed stumbling upon something that hadn’t been fully explored before.
While people say Dark Matter is observable, it’s only through the effects it produces—no one has ever actually seen it.
Which meant it was completely invisible as it doesn’t interact with light or any other known forces.
Ash’s gaze sharpened slightly as he spoke.
"That’s what interests me. It’s something that exists... but remains fundamentally hidden. It’s known to be there, yet its true nature is still a mystery. That unknown quality is what I’m interested in."
It wasn’t hard for Nia to catch on to all of this. And to her, it all sounded like something he would dive into....
"It does sound interesting... but can it still overcome Quantum?"
Ash gave a small shrug.
"Uhhh... well we will see."
Without another word, he took a single blink.
In the next moment, he granted himself a Tier 21 Divine Power of Dark Matter. As always, a status screen appeared with details, and a surge of information instantly flooded his mind.
But he didn’t bother to really look through most of it. Unlike others who might need time to get used to a Codex or Divine powers, he needed none.
And right away, he knew—this power didn’t surpass his Quantum Power. It stood beside it as an equal... barely that.
Different in nature, yes, but not greater.
As Nia and Elysia had teased, Quantum was just far too overpowered from the start.
And truth be told, ever since the power had fused with his eyes, he hadn’t taken much time to really dive into how it had evolved upon reaching the Tier 21 stage.
’Hmm, maybe I should take a look?’ he mused inwardly.
From what he already knew, the Quantum power allowed him to manipulate observation, potential, and a vast array of other possibilities.
Still, before delving deeper into what had shifted within the Quantum power, a smile spread across his face as he finally stumbled upon the one ability he had been seeking from the Dark Matter power.
He wasn’t entirely sure what would come from making Dark Matter into something to be used in Fantasy, especially when dealing with the unknown, but in the end, the power had granted him something known as...
The unseen state.
Through this power, he could perceive paths and possibilities that remained hidden from normal perception.
He could see the unseen branches of the plot, the hidden variables that shaped events, and even discover routes toward things that had never existed before — such as a direct path toward the Sixth Wall.
"Just perfect... now, before I throw all this together, let’s see what’s actually changed with these Quantum Powers," he thought.
In an instant, he was floored.
"What the hell?" he muttered, unable to believe how far things had advanced.
The Quantum Power had essentially merged with Unara, and upon reaching Tier 21—the peak—it birthed the fourth essence, said to be unique to Pantheos alone.
With just a glance, he sensed this essence had first emerged from transcending all dualities, even Existence and Nonexistence.
But that was only at the beginning...
’Fuck it... just combine it all.’ He thought and continued before he got too sidetracked.
