Died for a Million Times: I can Copy Infinite SSS Talents!-Chapter 59 --Abyssal Apostle

Link burst out laughing at Ryze’s complaints, his voice echoing into the wind. But Ryze, ever the sharp observer, caught something deeper beneath the surface of that laughter—a trace of bitterness quietly hidden in the young man’s smile.

And no wonder.

Ryze reflected silently—someone like Link, cursed with the cycle of death and rebirth, was never destined to experience emotions the way others did. Whether it was friendship, kinship, or love... these things would always be fleeting to him.

He would outlive them all.

With every loop, every death and return, Link would inevitably grow numb. Detached. Cold. Everyone around him would slowly become nothing more than tools, pawns to be used and discarded at will.

"Mentor?" Link turned to Ryze, puzzled by the prolonged silence and the penetrating stare.

"Ahem... it’s nothing," Ryze said, snapping out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat and shifted into a more serious tone. "I was just about to explain the three locations I’m taking you to. You should be mentally prepared."

He held up a finger. "The first is called Starshatter Mountains. Legend says countless stars fell from the heavens and crashed there, creating a strange, highly unstable energy field across the region. The moonfolk born in that zone... well, they aren’t quite the same as the ones you’ve encountered elsewhere."

"The second location," Ryze continued, "is known as the Skullsplitter Clan Highlands. I could try to describe it in words, but frankly, they wouldn’t do it justice. When you see it for yourself, you’ll understand."

"And lastly... the Thousand-Eyed Altar. This one’s a critical strategic zone for the moonfolk. Normally, I’d never recommend an esper approach it."

Link blinked. "Why not?"

Ryze turned to him, his expression suddenly grave. "Geographically speaking, the farther you get from human territory, the fewer constraints the moonfolk face. Out there, they don’t have to worry about resistance. No one checks their growth. So what happens?"

"They devour each other," Ryze said coldly. "They mutate. They evolve."

Link frowned. "They cannibalize their own?"

"Yes. And within their ranks, there’s a formalized system to rank those powerful mutations. It’s their way of keeping score."

"I’ve studied that before," Link said quickly, recalling his coursework. "The moonfolk have something called the Moonfolk Leaderboard, right? Only the top one thousand strongest individuals are recorded on it."

"And the ten strongest among them," he added, "are given the title of Moonfolk Chieftains."

Ryze smiled, tousling Link’s hair. "You’ve got a solid grasp of esper theory, I’ll give you that."

"But here’s what your textbooks don’t tell you," he went on, his voice low and serious. "Above the ten chieftains... there exists another type of moonfolk entirely. If we were to categorize them using our human classification system, they wouldn’t just be stronger—they’d be supreme. They don’t serve under the chieftains. The chieftains serve them."

"We call them the Abyssal Apostles."

Link’s mind reeled. "Abyssal... Apostle?"

Ryze nodded. "That’s what most ancient records refer to them as. Even the moonfolk acknowledge their sovereignty. These Apostles aren’t just rulers—they’re the very origin of moonfolk hierarchy. Without them, the ten chieftains wouldn’t exist."

"So the Apostles sit at the very top," Link murmured, his thoughts drifting.

His mind flashed to the red-ink name written on the final page of his notebook: Gano.

It didn’t sound like a human name. Nor like a conventional moonfolk one either. It resembled more the arcane pronunciations found in long-lost scripts and forbidden grimoires.

Could it be? Was Gano one of these Apostles?

Ryze continued, breaking his train of thought. "These beings are the pinnacle of danger. According to what fragments we’ve recovered, each Abyssal Apostle emerges into the world with Tier-7 esper-level power—from birth."

"Back then," Ryze said solemnly, "the only reason humanity didn’t collapse was because the Seven Saints joined forces. It took all seven of them to eradicate the chieftains under the Apostles’ command and drive the moonfolk back into chaos. That was the only way we bought ourselves this fragile era of peace."

He paused to let that sink in. Then gave Link a hard look. "I know you young espers are proud. You meet a powerful enemy and your blood starts boiling, itching for a challenge."

"But let me make something very clear," he warned, voice icy. "Don’t go fantasizing about fighting an Abyssal Apostle. Not now. Not anytime soon."

"This isn’t just classified information—it’s humanity’s highest level of military secrecy. And more importantly... you don’t have the right to face them yet."

Link clenched his fists, frustration swelling in his chest.

Ryze’s words were honest. Accurate. But they still stung.

"No matter how many times you resurrect," Ryze continued, "no matter how many lifetimes you burn through, the reality is this—those creatures wield powers beyond comprehension. You can’t just exploit your death-based talent to find their weakness. It doesn’t work like that."

Link’s shoulders slumped.

Seeing this, Ryze let out a quiet laugh. "Already discouraged? That’s not like you."

"Look," he said, softening. "You’re not ready now. I won’t lie to you about that. But if you continue forward, grow stronger with every step, then one day... even the Abyssal Apostles won’t be beyond your reach."

"You think I’m flattering you? I’m not. I’ve seen many talents, Link—but your Death Rebirth talent? Its potential far exceeds what even you believe it’s capable of."

Link inhaled deeply, Ryze’s words rekindling the fire within him.

He was right. He was still weak—a mere Tier-1 peak esper dreaming of facing an enemy humanity had spent centuries trying to destroy.

He was still a long way from the top.

In fact, at this very moment, he wasn’t even strong enough to reach those three dangerous regions Ryze had just described.

Not without help.

But he would reach them. That much, he vowed.

Straightening his back, Link opened his mouth to respond—only for Ryze to suddenly press a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Hold that thought," Ryze whispered, pointing ahead. "That’s all talk for the future. Right now... focus on the present."

"Look there. That’s our first destination—Starshatter Mountains."

Link followed his mentor’s outstretched finger.

What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

A bleak and broken landscape stretched out before them, as far as the eye could see. The ground was pitch black, littered with massive, perfectly round craters—meteor scars from some ancient catastrophe.

To call it a mountain range was misleading.

It was more like an immense, connected system of celestial impact sites. The "mountains" weren’t towering peaks—they were jagged fractures and elevated ridges formed by the violent collision of stars.

It was a "sunken range," a place shaped not by rising earth, but by cataclysmic impact. Link had never seen anything like it in his life.

Ryze took a step forward and said quietly, "And this is where you’ll meet the Starshatter Wasp Clan—a moonfolk lineage so rare, even their own kind speak of them in whispers."

"Starshatter Wasp Clan?"

Link blinked. "You mean the one ranked #747 on the Moonfolk Leaderboard?"