Based on the Spring of Life, I summoned a mock World Tree, and the Sage glaring at me as if to kill me.
The Sage attempted to raise the staff he was gripping tightly, but soon gave up and sat down.
Before I knew it, he looked fine as if he had reformed his body.
“Come and sit. I will satisfy your curiosity.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But promise me one thing.”
“Promise?”
“Once your curiosity is satisfied, you will definitely let go of your master.”
The Sage’s gaze was serious.
It felt strangely villainous, but I agreed.
I had to find the culprit and gather information about Anima anyway.
‘If there is Anima, then there should be remnants of other dragons as well.’
Surely the seven children who fell into Teshiniria must be dragons of each attribute.
[LOL]
[Evil Villain…]
[Great Ril Ria]
[It seems like killing him would give good experience points.]
[Can I eat here?]
Sitting across from the Sage, numerous magical arrays rose around him.
The arrays, imbued with the energy of life, soon merged into one and warmly enveloped both the Sage and me.
‘By the way, if it’s not ‘destruction’…’
“It’s not a hostile array, is it?”
“I’m not that stupid. This array was created solely in the hope of a true conversation.”
The Sage looked at me as if questioning what I thought of humanity.
“…Let me tell you what you’re most curious about first. First, my name is Hwon, and for decades, I served as the advisor to ‘Life.’ Second, regardless of their titles, there were indeed those who served ‘them,’ and it wasn’t a cooperative relationship. Third, the one trying to deceive you is one of the Elders of Extreme Defense, a former priest who served ‘Earth.’”
“Can’t you tell me exactly who it is?”
“There are a few candidates. Elders who know the past well are rare. I will give you their names.”
Shwiish…
The magical array encircling us emitted light and produced a green paper.
Inside the paper were the faces, names, and overall levels of four Elders.
“And probably the one who laid hands on you is trying to do something using ‘them.’”
“Are they trying to resurrect something like you?”
“It’s a bit different.”
Tap.
The Sage’s staff struck the ground.
Then the mock World Tree glowed even more and absorbed more of the Spring of Life.
The Sage’s expression darkened further.
“…Think about it. Through the spirit and flesh of my master, ‘Life,’ I obtained the power to restore nature and even resurrect the dead.”
Truly a blessing that could not be obtained by any ‘human.’
“You witnessed such a blessing. Will you really be satisfied with just Life?”
“…Were they trying to use the other children as well?”
“Are you trying to use the Children of God?”
“We’re already using them. The efficiency and variations are different, though. How do you think the Seven Factions are maintained? If it weren’t for their power, we could never exist as ourselves.”
In the end, the humans here began to utilize the sleeping Children of God and could boast of being the ‘Extreme Humans’ across multiple worlds.
[Whoa]
[What a disappointment]
[But isn’t the Sage the same kind of guy? LOL]
[Well, the Sage…]
[Are the children really dragons?]
[So dull]
“Then what’s the reason they’re waking up? It seems like your doing.”
“…I won’t deny it. Since I put everyone to sleep using the power of ‘Life’, when that life resurrects, everyone will inevitably wake up.”
……
“But I’m not trying to just recklessly do that.”
“Then what?”
“Why do you think I’ve endured for thousands of years? If my ‘plan’ is executed properly, those beings will never be a threat. I can assure you of that!”
I felt the flames igniting in the Sage’s once listless eyes.
The melancholy that had engulfed him entirely vanished the moment he spoke of his plan.
He was concentrating on this situation that much.
“It’s certain. Many old ones will oppose it, but this method is the most reliable and safe. Under that person’s blessing, countless beings have lived peacefully for ages, free from original sin. If you’re a human, you should repay it—”
“Calm down. What is that plan?”
The Sage, so excited about my plan.
He closed his mouth that had been moving non-stop and returned to his usual expression.
“My plan is…”
■
“‘Separation of Power’…”
On my way back to Extreme Defense.
I contemplated the plan ‘Separation of Power’ that I had heard from the Sage.
The Sage’s plan was simple.
‘When the resurrection of the Master begins, those currently in a sleep state will be released one by one. And the primordial magic array that I inscribed thousands of years ago will also activate.’
‘Primordial magic array?’
When the magic array activates, a powerful force that can separate the ‘rank’ of the soul will manifest. It’s a technique inspired by the transformation of that being’s spirit and flesh, which means separating power from humans.’
They will become ordinary humans with a bit of power from being great beings.
“……”
The Children of God who fell in Teshiniria were beings that caused destruction and chaos.
I know all too well how dangerous a child with power can be.
I don’t think the plan itself is absurd or wrong.
It was impressive how the sage, despite everything, seemed determined to coexist with those who would end up killing their master in such a manner.
“Except for one thing.”
[?]
[Hmm]
[Huh?]
That’s tough.
“The separated powers will surely draw someone’s interest.”
There are seven powers that can impact an entire world.
The sage even suggested that ‘life’ would separate its power, meaning there would be seven powers without a master.
Of course, the sage claimed they would ‘absolutely’ seal it without abusing it…
‘Well, maybe not.’
Can anyone really resist such power?
Even if they can’t contain it, contextually, if they gather all that power, they could be as strong as the celestial being Ertarn.
‘Even I wouldn’t be able to handle that right now.’
Even if the sage manages to show restraint, there’s the issue of others.
Just gaining one of those seven powers could make someone the ruler of the world.
“Life might demand power again. I wonder if they would deny their master’s command as a minister.”
[Hmm…]
[Sounds dangerous, just kill them]
[Looks like they’ll eat up all that power ㅋㅋ]
[Lily should eat it]
[Sage seems uneasy]
[Seal it, let’s go]
[It’d be funny if they helped and then Lily just swept everything away ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Suspicious…]
…As expected. I need to meet other people.
Ultimately, this is just the sage’s perspective.
For the people of Teshiniria, it would be a disruption of an age-old peace, and many would not welcome it.
‘Even if there were great sacrifices in the past.’
To most people, the reality of today is far more important than sacrifices made thousands of years ago.
After hearing the sage’s plans, I asked about the ‘Dragon Race,’ but didn’t get any useful information.
In fact, it was as if they were questioning me to see if I knew anything.
It seems the Children of God definitely have something to do with dragons… But they didn’t seem to remember that they themselves were a dragon.
Ultimately, I think I’ll need to witness those children directly to find any answers.
[Where are we going now?]
“First, I need to become an upper-ranked disciple. I should also check if the Elder of Extreme Defense has any plans.”
They did try to play tricks on me, but if the plan seems plausible, I’m willing to go along to some extent.
A World Quest must have come out for me to become an upper-ranked disciple, so following the plan will likely lead to future quests.
I’m starting to get an idea of why the system has blocked access to other sects.
Thus, I arrived at Extreme Defense and was able to meet Gapwoo, who was rolling around in the training ground.
“Gapwoo?”
“Uuuhhh… Master…”
“What are you doing here?”
Gapwoo had definitely destroyed dozens of facilities and stopped training, so why is he here?
Is it really happening?
In fact, there are only a few people who could potentially “send off” Gapwoo.
As I turned to where Gapwoo came from, a small claw was floating in midair.
Clack! Clack! The claw collided with itself, making a cheerful sound.
“…Karabus?”
─Hmph. It’s training. Don’t interrupt me, Lily Elbrite. For the record, it wasn’t me who asked; that guy wanted me to do it. Don’t get it twisted…
“Where did the body go?”
I had definitely half-mixed the soul and attached it to Gapwoo, but it should have been able to maintain its form.
At that, Karabus’s spirit body, which was just a claw, trembled with rage.
─Y-You’re crazy! You destroyed everything!!!
“I didn’t break it, though?”
─You ordered the Bloodsucker to do it. To smash the soul to bits.
“That was Lasty’s doing; I didn’t do it, so saying I broke it is a bit misleading.”
Anyway, it doesn’t seem like it’s my fault.
[LOL]
[Did you eat crab soup?]
[I miss Lasty]
[It’s hilarious that only the claw is left, lol]
[Did you win with that body?]
[What on earth did you do?]
“Isn’t it enough that he’s alive? He’s not exactly bound to a physical body.”
─Nonsense…
“Should I hit you instead?”
─……
Karabus’s mouth closed.
Though, technically, it didn’t have a mouth.
─Damn it.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to teach, but Gapwoo has no talent for blunt techniques. So if it’s not crab-specific, it won’t mean anything.
─There’s one thing.
“?”
─He tried it himself and couldn’t manage, so he asked me for help. It’s not like he broke the absolute order of ‘don’t go first.’ I’m serious.
I turned my head.
Then, as Gapwoo was regaining his composure, he slowly got up and said.
“Someone… someone delivered something… It’s a technique called ‘Pressure of Iron (甲)’…”
“Who?”
“Um, one day it was just there in my dwelling. This one worked when nothing else did…”
“Let me see.”
I received the book titled ‘Pressure of Iron (甲)’ from Gapwoo and began to read it.
The form and content were not significantly different from other technique books.
Even I found some pretty usable techniques that could easily stand toe-to-toe with Roar of Acceleration or Earth’s Rain.
However.
Ta-da!
“Quite intentional, huh?”
“?”
The person who sent the book to me and the one who sent the book to Gapwoo.
They are the same person.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
