Elf.
One of the races exterminated by the Outer Gods’ invasion in the forgotten ages.
One of the ‘semi-immortal’ races existing on the boundary between life and death, referring to a lifeform sustained not by the body but by the soul.
Like dragons, they are beings semi-detached from the flow of time, maintaining their numbers not through reproduction, but through ‘manifestation.’
“In many ways, they’re a race comparable to dragons.”
Elves, along with dragons, were one of the two primeval races that once safeguarded the world.
If dragons were the rulers of the domain of magic, then Elves were the rulers of the holy.
Both were transcendental beings, but they governed different realms.
And the era when these beings protected the world is called the ‘forgotten age’ by later generations.
Anyway, the biggest characteristic of Elves is their resemblance to humans.
Unlike dragons that use polymorphing to take on a human form, Elves closely resemble the prototype of humanity as they are.
Thus, it was understandable why Arkhan was confused.
Her insightful gaze must have seen through the fact that I was human.
However, there were too many suspicious points for me to be just an ordinary human, so it was reasonable for her to suspect I was an Elf.
But her statements contain too many errors.
First of all:
“Elves do not have male forms.”
“…What?”
Elves lack a male form.
Or rather, they lack gender altogether.
Their forms just always resemble the female body.
“I’ve never heard such a thing?”
“Whether you’ve heard it or not, facts don’t change.”
Arkhan glared at me for a long while and asked hesitantly.
“…Were you a woman?”
“Do I look like one?”
“Well, no, but…”
I swept my gaze over Arkhan, clicked my tongue, and stood up.
“Moreover, Elves are immortal.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“I grow old. I age. Haven’t you noticed the change in my appearance from when I was young until now?”
“…Eh?”
I shook my head and turned my body.
Arkhan stared at my back, and honestly, it wasn’t necessary to correct her misconception, but it seemed like if I left it be, the list of errors would just keep growing.
Besides, what was this talk about Elves?
A race so insignificant in the original story that I only saw it as a setting due to their absence from the plot.
“Then what are you? Surely not just a plain human?”
“I am human. You, Grand Lord, are the one with the Insightful Vision, right? Can’t you tell with just a glance? Whether my words are true or not.”
“Wait. How do you even know about Insightful Vision?”
“One of the traits of your race, isn’t it?”
“What are you?! Do you know about my race?”
Ah, maybe it was something I shouldn’t have said.
I spoke as if it was no big deal.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Because I’ve seen it. Your outer appearance might be human, but in essence, you’re a legendary race whose very body is constituted of mana. Piercing through existence with golden irises…”
I paused to choose my words carefully.
“The only remaining Witch of the continent.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.
Given her character, it would be normal for her to explode in anger upon being exposed, but…
“…The legendary race?”
…Is she liking it? Is it just me, or am I imagining it?
“Hmm, cough, you really do know it all, don’t you? What did you just say? The legendary race? Well, it’s not entirely wrong, I suppose.”
So frustrating, I couldn’t help but stare at her.
Was she always like this?
Somehow, every time I saw her strict and serious demeanor, I never noticed this other layer. She seemed rather fresh in this light.
Our eyes met, and finally, Arkhan cleared her throat before turning her head with a sideways glance.
“…But that’s not me.”
“Don’t bother with pretense.”
“No, really, it’s not me. Look, Sixth Lord, go around spreading strange words elsewhere. What? I warned you, didn’t I?”
“You better not spread false rumors about me.”
“No way! Tell me, what exactly are you?”
“Human.”
“Come on, how ordinary can you get?”
With no way to force the truth out, Arkhan grumbled furiously for quite some time before sighing heavily, as if the ground was about to collapse, and murmured.
“To take an ordinary human as a partner… surely, the difference in lifespan matters… yet again… an ordinary human doesn’t make sense either…”
What exactly was she muttering about?
I didn’t have time to waste here.
I needed to quickly check my abilities and absorb the Ouroboros’ scale.
Standing quietly waiting for her, I soon frowned and turned around.
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be on my way.”
“Eh? Where are you going! Finish explaining this before you leave!”
“If you chase after me, I’ll disappear without a trace, titles and all, so don’t follow.”
“What? That’s absurd! Sixth Lord!”
Ah, damn it.
She’s driving me nuts.
After returning to my private quarters, I took a quick shower and had dinner. Then, I carefully retrieved the Ouroboros scale hidden by my bed with some difficulty.
Though it seemed out of the ordinary for just a piece of scale in more ways than one, it was still a critical item for utilizing my abilities ahead, and so I handled it with care.
I gently stroked the surface of the scale.
The surface of the golden scale was as smooth as a mirror, and small patterns that seemed alive throbbed within.
Though it was only palm-sized, it was heavy like a lump of lead. Occasionally, a red light reminiscent of a snake’s eye would flicker and fade from the surface.
“Damn, this thing gives me the creeps.”
The scale of the Ouroboros was more than just a scale. It was a living entity.
The very core and heart of the Ouroboros.
Particularly, the greatest feature of this scale was the immense power of propagation and circulation. When linked together as a single loop, an everlasting cycle system is established where imagery could automatically replenish even after consumption.
The Iphrashian ring previously in use was honestly not very efficient.
During non-combat periods, Rudine’s lethal trait was minimal, and the charging amount was also relatively small.
Additionally, the requirement to remain close to Rudine was one of the annoying aspects.
However, this situation was different.
The power of circulation inherent to the scale was a form of divine authority that shared the same fundamental essence as the Rune power I used.
The crucial point here was that the ‘rules’ of proliferation and circulation also recycled and multiplied the imagery that constituted the divine authority.
‘An extraordinary connection I wouldn’t expect to obtain until the late stages…’
In various ways, it could be called an unprecedented opportunity.
To be honest, I never expected the Tower to be connected to the Abyss.
Anyway, now that I had acquired the scale, there was only one thing left to do: to fully absorb everything contained within the scale into my body.
“Hmph.”
With determination, I slowly lifted my right palm and placed it over the scale.
Instantly, vibrations began, and the blue light from the rune tattoos under my right and left eyes started to glow in response, as the cycling power began resonating with the runes.
The scale began to violently emit red light.
As the blue and red lights crossed, the scale throbbed alive, and at that moment, the surging energy started flowing through the surface of the scale into the palm of my hand.
“…”
As the energy seeped into my palm, I felt the first wave.
Initially, a gentle tingling sensation, then a sweeping wave of pain as if countless needles were traveling through my blood vessels, engulfing my entire body.
“Krruuuugh…!”
My blood boiled, and something stirred deep within my muscles. The sensation began at the fingertips and rapidly spread throughout my body, with the energy relentlessly awakening each cell.
The excruciating pain of squeezing every cell in my body overwhelmed me.
Simultaneously, my heartbeat altered, and my nervous system expanded into a new dimension.
Like the Ouroboros endlessly devouring itself, the energy endlessly reconstructed my body.
“Ahgh…”
I barely managed to keep my staggering body upright.
I caught my breath irregularly with bloodshot eyes.
As tears and sweat mingled and flowed, the boundary of reality began to crumble.
But I had to endure.
If I lost consciousness, all the processes would lose their meaning.
But…
“Screw this!”
Damn, this was far too painful.
It wasn’t a mere pain but an agonizing sensation that the sane mind couldn’t endure.
Slowly, very slowly.
The fear of death crept up my neck.
“Kh-aaah…!”
With my head getting heavy, I lost my balance and collapsed to the floor.
The excruciating pain swept through my body, tearing through my muscles and burning my nerves like wildfire.
Through the haze of pain, I dimly saw the cracked mirror in front of me.
The swirling golden aura began to encircle my gradually fading eyes.
My consciousness drifted off.
The heat covering my entire body felt like melting.
And then…
“Whewk…!”
A refreshing chill spread from the tip of my toes to the tip of my head, akin to being splashed with cold water.
The excruciating pain squeezing my entire body gradually abated.
And soon, the blurred consciousness started to clear up.
Lying on the floor and gazing at the white ceiling, I found my body drenched in cold sweat.
Time perception dissipated, and only the silence surrounding me lingered.
I extended my trembling right hand, slightly parted my lips, and let out a familiar invocation.
“Acceleration (가속).”
Unlike the usual blue mist, this time a golden torrent resembling the essence of the scale tore through the space this time.
The golden torrent smoothly enveloped a fly hovering in the air with a swirling sound.
“Reverse (역).”
… It all froze.
Not even a speck of dust, a breath of air, or the wingbeat of the fly moved.
I turned my head and picked up the stick that had fallen on the floor.
And then,
“Transfer (전).”
Whack!
The stick pierced through the center of the fly’s body held in my hand.
No, it wasn’t just piercing—it was as if the space between two points was folded in half, and the stick in my hand burst through the space to emerge on the opposite side.
It was, without a doubt, an ability close to divine authority.
In every aspect—output, precision, range—it had made an unimaginable advancement.
The golden mist was reabsorbed into the tattoos beneath my eyes, and the energy consumed was gradually restored with a soft glow.
A cunning smile appeared on my lips.
“…This is ridiculous.”
