The Elixir of the Sea God was a precious artifact that could instantly assimilate the immense Yin energy contained within. The sea is the mother of all life, and women symbolize Yin, hence its potency.
Thus, much like the Essence of Evil Spirits that Sera and Yuri had consumed, the Elixir of the Sea God granted tremendous magical power or Aura upon consumption—but honestly, it left something to be desired.
It was a treasure obtained by slaying the Sea God, who commanded the oceans at will. Was it not rather disappointing that such an effort only resulted in a slight increase in one’s energy?
Many in ancient times shared this sentiment. They sought to kill gods and seize their power.
There were primitive tribes who succeeded in this through shamanistic means.
“Water Shield Barrier!”
As Sera shouted while clutching her necklace, water materialized around her without any magical incantation.
Staring at the water surrounding her, Sera began to dramatically freak out.
“What!? This much water manipulation in a place with no water!?”
“Fun, isn’t it? Keep going.”
“Super fun! Totally! Like Force powers, Force powers!”
After a while, Sera, having retracted her magic and dispelled her abilities, gazed at her necklace with sparkling eyes.
The “Vessel for Containing Gods,” crafted by those ancient tribes—she had gotten her hands on the relic of that extinct tribe.
“Where did you get that?”
“This? If you go to the desert zone, it’s buried at a specific spot. I brought it from there.”
She revealed that all the accessories she was wearing were artifacts with special abilities.
In the game, they were known as hidden pieces of affinity. Kail let out an exclamation as he looked at Sera.
“All those things… when did you…”
“You’re the one who amazes me. Weren’t you the guy who left saying you wouldn’t gather affinities? And now look at you.”
Instead, Sera fiddled with her necklace, seemingly more intrigued by Kail. The Elixir of the Sea God embedded in it shimmered with a blue light.
The artifacts Sera had acquired were valuable on their own, but when combined with other items, they unleashed even greater power.
Of course, items granting such immense power weren’t easy to find. If anyone could easily obtain them, they would’ve been long since discovered, leaving none for Sera to claim.
“That thing, I got it by killing the Sea God.”
“…Sea God? What Sea God, Poseidon?”
“No, it was some kind of fish.”
“A fish, you say… Leviathan, perhaps? Tell me more.”
Prompted by Sera’s question, Kail began recounting the tale. He had intended to ask her about it from the start.
His trip to the Emerald Realm, the sealed beach there, the reason for the blockade, his battle with the Sea God who had sealed the sea, and finally, defeating him.
Hearing all this, Sera stared at Kail incredulously.
“So, you were the one who started the fight, huh?”
“It dared interfere with a human event, so it deserved to die.”
“Nonsense… More importantly, how did you capture the Sea God of the Emerald Realm?”
“Huh?”
“In the game, it was a monster you couldn’t even fight.”
Ah, so that’s why. Kail realized why he didn’t remember what the Sea God looked like. Honestly, if Kail had tried to formally fight the Sea God, he would have faced great difficulty.
The city’s residents regarded the Sea God as their guardian deity, and thus, instead of helping Kail fight the Sea God, they actively interfered.
Kail managed to defeat the Sea God because he attacked from afar, provoking the Sea God to attack the city. Had the Sea God remained docile, Kail couldn’t imagine how he might have captured it.
“The NPC that made beautiful rainbows bloom over the Emerald Realm’s seas and helped raise heroine affection… How on earth did you manage to catch him?”
“Uh… somehow?”
“You really have no sense of humanity, do you…?”
“More importantly, the dragon I gave to Arthur has hatched.”
“What? Really!?”
Sera, who had been scolding Kail for his actions, quickly forgot about it and sparkled with excitement. Watching her, Kail realized she wasn’t so different from himself.
Neither of them truly believed in this world.
* * *
Far from the Diaros Empire lay the Pragia Kingdom. In a large mansion there, a man with one arm missing grimaced in pain.
“Grrr…!”
“Endure it. Stop whining.”
“Whining? Whiiining? Your surgery skills are trash, aren’t they—Ghhk!”
“Trash? You wanna die?”
The girl who had snapped at the man removed her hands, signaling the surgery was complete. The man moved his reattached arm to check if the operation had gone well.
True to her reputation as the most skilled among her peers, the arm severed by a sword was now somewhat functional again.
“…It feels a bit awkward.”
“There’s nothing I can do about that. Too much time had passed. Rehabilitation will take a while.”
“How bothersome.”
As the man began rehabilitation by clenching and unclenching his fist, a burly man nearby burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! That’s why I told you to just attach a prosthetic. Kaines.”
“Shut up. Who can trust prosthetics? Hephaestus.”
“Hmm, are you doubting my craftsmanship?”
“Prosthetics are premature. I didn’t become a Master relying on some mechanical device.”
Hephaestus nodded in agreement with Kaines’ sharp words.
Though confident his prosthetics rivaled the Masters’ flesh, Masters were notoriously proud beings. They disliked relying on mere machines.
If his arm had been completely lost, maybe it would be different, but hadn’t he regained his original arm? Hephaestus lamented that the one who cut Kaines’ arm hadn’t burned it to ashes.
“Surgery’s done? Then I’ll be going?”
“Thank you, Aruki.”
“Don’t embarrass yourself by getting your ass handed to you again. It’s cringy.”
Aruki, who had repaired Kaines’ arm, left the mansion after speaking. Unlike Kaines, who operated without a fixed identity, she was a renowned doctor in the kingdom and incredibly busy.
Considering that her earnings and those of the other members funded their activities, interfering with her work equated to hindering the Holy Weapons’ operations.
Should the organization leader find out, it would spell trouble. Kaines promised to be careful as he saw Aruki off.
“So? Who is it?”
“…Didn’t you hear from Staff?”
“I’ve been busy working.”
“A new candidate for ‘Sword’… or so I thought.”
“Thought?”
“What, should I accept the guy who mangled my arm like this?”
Kaines raised his reattached left arm as he spoke. Though freshly attached, it felt too alive to be newly connected, yet it was disappointingly sluggish for a Master’s limb.
Hephaestus frowned at the sight and shook his head.
“I seem to recall smashing a few heads before I joined too.”
“…You were different. You were eager to join. That guy showed no intention of joining at all. He seemed intent on handing me over to the Empire’s knights.”
“He wielded a sword, right? Yet he failed to decapitate you despite getting close enough to sever your bow-wielding arm. Is he that weak?”
At this question, Kaines clammed up. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that an archer had his arm severed from a distance by a swordsman.
Seeing Kaines’ silence, Hephaestus nodded knowingly and rose from his seat.
“By the way, I wondered where ‘Sword’ was rushing off to…”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Before you arrived, ‘Sword’ came to me to have his weapon maintained. After I quickly serviced it, he rushed off somewhere.”
Now the mystery was solved. Hephaestus wore a satisfied expression.
“Come to think of it, he must have gone to meet the new Sword candidate.”
“—I should go too.”
“Haha, worried about losing your prey? Even though your rehab isn’t done?”
“Consider it part of my rehab.”
Kaines immediately rose and packed his things. He was determined to personally kill Kail, who had shamed him.
At the same time, anxiety gnawed at him—he feared he might not be able to defeat him alone.
* * *
After school, Kail stopped as a man blocked his path.
A cool, rugged appearance with narrow, piercing eyes staring straight at him.
“You’re Kail, right?”
“…Who are you?”
Kail tensed slightly as he eyed the man. The man extended his hand and replied casually.
“Schwarz. I’ve come a long way to see you.”
Feeling the aura emanating from the man and his outstretched hand, Kail was certain.
This man is a Master.
And Masters who sought him always brought trouble.
An instinctive bell rang, warning him that this man before him would be no different.
