Roar—!!
The colossal body, now completely split in two, collapses to the ground.
For something that was essentially a fragment of an Outer God, its end was rather pitiful.
‘Shit… I really thought I was going to die there.’
I stand still for a moment, catching my breath as a wave of exhaustion washes over my entire body. Just moments ago, the massive apparition that had taken root within me vanished in an instant.
This was due to the process of annihilating a fragment of Ouroboros, during which I briefly manifested an independent realm—a domain that could be described as an authority beyond ordinary beings.
‘Of all places, I had to run into an Outer God here.’
The essence of the beings collectively referred to as ‘Outer Gods’ varies greatly. Sometimes they’re called Outer Gods, sometimes entities from Beyond, and other times the source of Chaos itself. Broadly speaking, however, they can be divided into two categories: the primordial beings that have existed in the Outer World since the dawn of time, and the beings created after the fact by the laws of specific domains.
The one I faced belonged to the latter group. A fragment of Ouroboros, conceived within the abyssal depths of the world’s utmost core.
Symbolizing infinite cycles and self-consumption, it was one of the ultimate bosses, so to speak.
Its most prominent characteristic? Infinite proliferation.
It endlessly split and multiplied by consuming itself—a power so overbearing it was borderline cheating.
When it comes to the compatibility between Ouroboros and me… let’s just say I’m on the unfavorable side. The fission of Ouroboros was an anomaly, a phenomenon that defied the fundamental rules of the world. Once the cycle of self-consumption began, it was unbroken.
Immune to all damage.
A probabilistic death effect that annihilates existence itself.
Infinite proliferation and spatial erosion.
All sorts of absurd patterns were rolled into one. The sole reason such an unreasonable phenomenon could exist in the first place? Simply put, it was because this being was, after all, a fragment of Chaos born from the Abyss—an utterly irrational existence that was upheld by the ‘laws’ of the Abyss itself.
Thus, dealing with it via conventional methods was impossible. Though this was merely a fragment of the main Ouroboros and not the complete entity, my current level—having just awakened the awareness of Runes—is nowhere near sufficient to handle it.
Still, there was no room for giving up. Giving up now meant certain death, and I had absolutely no intention of dying.
Above all, there was a method—not an easy one, but a method nonetheless. While a single Rune of Time would have been insufficient, there was the Rune of Space resting atop that altar over there.
So I deliberated.
Gaining a Rune always comes with a price. The greater the value of the offering, the stronger the power one receives. There are risks involved, naturally—but this is the fate of those burdened with such a destiny.
The textbook approach is a safe choice: offering a moderately valuable item in return for commensurate power. The Rune exchange operates on the principle of equivalent exchange; one cannot gain anything exceeding the value of what they offer. However, the calculation involved is intricate. The latent potential of what is offered, its interconnectedness with the destiny of the one making the offering—numerous complex variables interweave before determining its final value.
The situation here, however, was different. A regular offering would be insufficient to deal with the fragment of the Outer God in front of me. A more potent power was absolutely needed.
‘There was no real choice.’
Among the items I could offer now, the one with the highest value had to be the ring of Iphrashia. An ancient relic that absorbs the Thousand Slaughters of Rudine and converts it into imagery—one of only five such relics from the dawn of time found on the continent. A critical object for utilizing my abilities in the future, its latent value was impossible to measure.
The authority it demanded in return was none other than the Dominion of Realms. The prerequisites were already met: the Rune of Time and the Rune of Space were prepared, and even though I’d just entered the stage of awareness, the activation had been successful. Though the flaw of being human as a Rune wielder existed, my soul itself originated from another world, and thus, fortunately, no issues arose.
Speaking of which, anyway…
I finished my train of thought and walked over to the corpse of Ouroboros.
‘It must be here somewhere…’
I approached feebly, meticulously searching the remains. In the absence of the ring of Iphrashia, securing a new intermediary for charging my imagery was desperately needed. And just in time, there happened to be a perfect alternative—the core scales of Ouroboros.
‘Ouroboros’s Reverse Scale.’
Self-consumption and infinite cycles—these were the symbols of Ouroboros. Hence, the Reverse Scale of Ouroboros matched the essence of the Iphrashia ring crafted by the High Elves but surpassed it in rank. That was why I offered the ring without hesitation. Even though it was the only choice I had, I judged it to be feasible because the opponent was Ouroboros.
And now…
‘…I found it.’
Something faintly glowing caught my eye. Among the debris, a golden glimmer emanated, distinct from the rest of the corpse’s scales.
Extending my hand carefully, I picked up the scale, sensing its heavy weight. Unlike the others, this scale faintly throbbed as if it were alive. I swiftly pocketed it and turned around.
Gurgle…!!
The heavy fog cleared, revealing the figures of Arkhan, Adina, and Rudine standing in a corner of the now devastated area.
They stared at me as if I were some sort of monster.
Shifting my steps towards Arkhan, who stood there with a bewildered expression, I observed the translucent film surrounding them faintly glowing. Most likely a protective barrier Arkhan had erected to shield Adina and Rudine from the previous aftermath.
“…Did you really kill it?”
Arkhan’s gaze shifted to where the lifeless body of Ouroboros lay. She, too, must have been aware of the beings from beyond the world.
Thus she would have detected the presence of the Outer Sea when I first encountered Ouroboros. Yet it seems she never imagined I could bring about such a definitive end. The confusion on her face made that crystal clear.
‘…things are about to get more troublesome.’
I knew she would fall into all sorts of misconceptions, but I couldn’t help it. Death or kill—those were the only choices given to me, and I merely made the most rational judgment.
With a somewhat subdued tone, I addressed her.
“Grand Lord.”
“…Hmm?”
“Let’s go back.”
“Eh, uh… yes… we should return.”
*
We returned the same way we came, exiting the Abyss and returning directly to our headquarters.
Leaving Kalmas was smoother than expected. As long as Adina’s foresight was available, there was no risk of losing our way in the labyrinthine realm of Kalmas. The occasional demon beasts that appeared posed no challenge with Arkhan by our side.
However, one thing that was increasingly bothersome was Arkhan’s gaze. What began as mere curiosity had now evolved into reverence when directed at me. It wasn’t just Arkhan. Adina and Rudine also looked at me as if I were some kind of monster.
Upon crossing the boundary of Kalmas, we were greeted by a Griffon waiting for us at the passage entrance. We mounted and soared through the sky toward our headquarters.
Reaching the headquarters without incident, Rudine and Adina retired to their private rooms to rest. Though I, too, being human, longed to rest for days, it was not to be…
“…What is the matter?”
I was hastily summoned to the conference room upon a sudden call from the Grand Lord.
“6th Lord, be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“Was the thing we encountered in the Abyss really one of those Outer World entities?”
“…Yes, it was. More accurately, a fragment of it.”
“Ah, it seemed to be.”
Arkhan grinned as she rose from her seat and approached me with quick strides.
“I thought about it the whole way back?”
“…?”
“Clearly, your soul’s essence is human, but in so many ways, you’re too extraordinary to be human. Your knowledge and capabilities both fall outside conventional human realms.”
“…What’s your point?”
She smirked and continued.
“You’re suspicious. The essence may be human, but you know far too much, human-wise. Your abilities look somewhat like Word Magic, but Word Magic distorts causality itself—it’s not an ability meant for humans.”
“…”
“That’s why I did some digging. Apparently, you killed Jinto and left for Westmarch shortly after arriving in the Magic Realm?”
Arkhan’s gaze shifted to my right hand.
“The corrupted World Tree of blood and madness, saturated with primordial magic…”
“…”
“Mirckdrasil. I heard you even obtained a ring from the Elven Holy Tree, which is now extinct?”
“That was just a standard ritual…”
“Nah, it couldn’t be.”
Arkhan stared at me excitedly, her face flushed with excitement.
“Didn’t you yourself, when I asked about the Forgotten Age, confirm that you saw it with your own eyes?”
Did I?
Yes, I believe I did.
“The essence may be human, but your appearance is exceptionally handsome, and you handle Word Magic, absorb the holiness of scriptures, even create realms within the Abyss?”
Static electricity seemed to spark between our locked gazes. Arkhan continued in a tone that suggested she found the situation highly entertaining.
“6th Lord.”
“…”
“You’re an Elf, aren’t you? And not just any Elf—a High Elf.”
Shit.
Not enough with dragons and the Kabila, now it’s Elves?
