We quickly exited the dungeon.
“Wow, you held on late. So, how far did you get?”
“I just played moderately up front.”
“Haha, there are a lot of monsters nowadays, and the entrance is a mess too. You’re really skilled.”
As we stepped out of the dungeon, the gatekeepers approached us with interest.
The Ilseom Guild had weird personality-related conditions to qualify for challenging this dungeon.
Since not many dared to take on the challenge, it was only natural that our late exploration attracted attention.
In fact, my companions were jumping around the whole way asking how I purified the guardians.
It was too long a story to explain about Rainy, and I didn’t know how they would react, so I remained silent.
It was already past midnight, so we had no choice but to part ways without any further gatherings.
“Thanks, Il-wol!”
“I’m heading home to get my hands on an artifact!”
My companions expressed their gratitude until the end. Ha-yoon even boldly declared she would go steal something, but I guess we’ll see if she actually does.
I could see my companions in the distance warmly embracing Ah-rin.
They must have heard the stories about her recovering from ‘Mana Disease.’
There were many stories I didn’t share with them, including those about ‘purification’ and ‘potions.’
I should really pick a day to inform them about those necessary parts.
Ah-rin’s bright smile was striking.
It was far more genuine than the smiles she had worn before, radiating the freshness of her age.
‘I feel proud. This little joy should exist.’
“Shall we go for a walk there again?”
“Sure?”
After a long time, I walked around the bustling area with Yeon-hee in human form.
Even though it was late, there were still groups of people wandering around.
“I really liked it the first time I walked here.”
“I remember too. It was my first time, walking among people.”
I wore a mask made of bones on my face, while Yeon-hee had her hood pulled down low. It covered her face almost to her nose, but since Ran was guiding the way in front, it was no problem.
While the mask surely hid our identities, it also attracted even more attention.
– Who’s the masked guy? Nice proportions.
– Look at that sharp jawline. He must be handsome without the mask.
– The girl next to him looks a bit creepy…
Most evaluations from the people around were directed towards me.
The horrifying bone mask likely drew attention. Of course, the situation would change if Yeon-hee took off her hood.
Splash-
Yeon-hee snuggled up to me and linked her arm with mine.
That spot, slightly warmer than the rest of her body, was subtly stimulating.
A signal to quicken our steps.
Yeon-hee came over but now suggested going home instead.
‘I guess I just can’t understand a woman’s heart.’
Back at home, I began crafting skeleton bombs as usual.
I was still in the process of creating new minions by analyzing the information of the monsters I had recently caught. Although sharing body parts with monsters like Marshall Dragard or Frizkana was mentally exhausting, the results were more promising than ever.
Crunch- Crack-
As I crafted bombs using the bones of a water spirit, I reminisced about my earlier conversation with Yeon-hee.
“When are you going to China?”
“I think… soon? But I won’t just disappear. I promised to let you know the area.”
“Are you going with Jung Tae-hyung? Is that okay?”
“He’s the only one who can follow my movements without a hitch. Plus, seeing how much you all have improved in my absence, going with a two-track approach seems like the right choice. How did you all develop such abilities?”
“Hehe… I jokingly suggested creating a passing trick, and it actually worked when I tried. I’m excitedly developing more skills.”
Yeon-hee happily said she was doing something amazing.
‘The fact that you think can create just by thinking proves you are geniuses.’
Thinking back, it was pretty amazing that I had gathered such talented people.
I ascended to the rooftop.
The night sky was filled with stars.
In a world where mana stones had become one of the main power sources, Earth was gradually regaining its former appearance.
There were times when stars weren’t visible at all.
A dark, starless night sky.
‘What an unimaginable thing.’
And I needed to prepare myself for another mystery.
‘Today is the last day for Goddess Irmana’s quest.’
I retrieved the statue of Irmana from my pocket dimension.
The statue I faced daily looked a bit different today.
In its eyes, which gazed steadily at me, the universe was reflected.
‘……’
I had a gut feeling that something was going to happen, yet I focused my consciousness as usual.
‘Ah……’
Soon after I raised my consciousness, the world began to flip upside down.
Waves surged, the ground lifted, clouds dissipated, and the sky opened up.
Black flames swirled in between.
For a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of a massive being imbued with lightning.
After a long time of seeing the universe unfold in my mind, I drifted away to some distant place…
* * *
My head was intensely noisy.
[··· Why would a being with nothing attempt to walk an unfettered path?···]
[··· ‘That guy’s’ ‘joke’ has created a variable···]
[··· A worthless ‘creature’ of the one who has fallen asleep···]
[··· Is the will that the ‘first summoner’ exhibited continuing?···]
[··· Are you not just a being that cannot even crawl?···]
[··· You seem to be an immensely intriguing existence···]
[··· The space of martial arts seeks infinity···]
[··· That is the ultimate truth and the path we must take···]
‘……’
* * *
Tap-
Tap-
The sound of droplets falling rhythmically was so clear and pure.
With the soft thing supporting my head, I felt at ease to the point that I thought I could stay like this forever.
‘My body… is strange…’
Creeeak-
My body was gradually undergoing a transformation.
I felt an uncontrollable force breaking me down into thousands of pieces and reassembling me repeatedly.
It was an indescribably horrific sensation.
‘Ah……’
And then my consciousness cut off once again.
Tap-
Tap-
It felt like eons may have passed as I experienced a sense of time far beyond comprehension.
Slowly, the things that were blocking my view began to clear.
I felt as if I had seen everything in the world.
But I couldn’t remember anything, which reminded me of when I was curled up, being nothing.
At that moment, something warm supporting my head looked down at me and smiled brightly.
‘Ah……’
I knew who the being that looked at me with such loving eyes was.
Her appearance bore a striking resemblance to Yeon-hee.
Could it be because of that?
Before I knew it, I reached out my hand toward the goddess.
Startle-
The goddess’s face, which appeared so serene, cracked.
It was a reaction completely unanticipated.
[Have you already… awoken?…]
[That can’t be…]
[You shouldn’t be ready yet…]
[Do you truly possess infinite potential…?]
Several voices echoed.
They seemed somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t make sense of them; it was clear that I wasn’t in my right mind, what with these auditory hallucinations.
I merely wanted to feel the touch of the goddess, who resembled Yeon-hee, so please don’t interrupt.
Yet no matter how far I reached out, I couldn’t touch the goddess.
The goddess Irmana wore a rather sad expression.
She hesitantly took something out.
‘……?’
What she handed me was a blade that looked more humble than the dagger I had used during my F-rank hunter days.
Enveloped in a mystical aqua aura, she presented it to me before kissing my forehead, after which she disintegrated into the air.
Ding──!
– Your level has increased!
“……”
It’s honestly impressive how quickly it increases.
I had no strength to even lift a finger.
In the vastness of time, a chill ran down my spine as I hastily looked up at the sky.
Fortunately, the constellations were exactly as I had seen them before losing consciousness.
Amidst the confusion, a lengthy message appeared before my eyes.
The system stated that my struggles were not of importance to it.
How about that? Isn’t it splendid? It seemed to swirl around me.
It’s no surprise considering how much joy he takes in putting me in difficult situations.
‘Shall I check it out one by one…?’
[Infinite Sword Mage – Seer of Black Flames, small incarnation of the Goddess of Tears, Lv.100]
First off, the title was so grand it was a bit overwhelming.
‘An Infinite Sword Mage… I don’t think I’m capable of that much.’
It also reflected that I had become a small incarnation of Goddess Irmana. That felt quite gratifying.
– The fire you harbor burns away the unseen, and your righteous sword knows no bounds.
‘…… So, that’s true.’
I suppose if the system says so, it’s correct, but honestly, I couldn’t agree with the term righteous sword. What I had done was highly selfish, and thus not very righteous.
– The residue of chaos deems you an enemy.
Of course, the report didn’t only provide good news.
Information that beings like ‘Residue of Chaos’ had unequivocally judged me as an enemy.
‘I need to be careful when transitioning to another dimension. They’ll come charging like a pack of wolves.’
Feeling a shiver run down my spine, I continued to read the message.
– The ‘Goddess of Tears’ gazes at you with a loving expression.
‘Thank you…’
– All your attacks will carry flame energy and marks.
– Flames will respond according to your will.
– A ‘Great Being’ has clearly recognized you. You’ll summon black flames with a low probability.
‘Oh… So all attacks will be marked? Does that include magic? I need to check this out; it’s absolutely insane!’
Now I won’t need to rely on a bone dagger to make attacks; the marks will be made automatically. Plus, the chance of summoning black flames has slightly increased; that’s definitely a plus.
‘Incredible…’
– Flame Armor (2nd grade) has been upgraded from Flame Armor (1st grade).
– Lightning Armor (3rd grade) has been upgraded to Lightning Armor (2nd grade).
– Understanding of water attribute magic has surpassed a certain level, allowing you to fuse Flame Armor and Lightning Armor.
– You’ve acquired the ‘Stormfire Armor’!
– When switched to combat type, inflict powerful attribute damage to all enemies within your sight.
– When switched to combat type, enemies approaching within a certain radius will be continuously exposed to attribute damage.
– When you defeat an enemy with fire magic, it’ll cause a massive explosion to nearby enemies and set them ablaze.
– When hit by an enemy, inflict lightning attribute counter damage.
There were significant upgrades to my armor.
‘So understanding the water attribute has such an impact? Creating a new armor by merging flame and lightning energy is amazing!’
Thanks to this, a multitude of positive effects arose. But the most welcoming change was the increase in the number of blink instances.
‘If it’s three a day, I can afford to use two and still have one left. This is going to be sweet.’
Stealth and blink.
Just these two skills will allow me to stay several steps ahead of my opponents, greatly widening my tactical range.
– Understanding of earth attributes has increased.
– The ‘Sanctum of Vigilance’ is now fortified with the hardness of rock.
‘Oh dear?!’
– The ability of [Stealth] has been heightened.
– Your [Stealth] can no longer be detected by detection magic.
‘Wow!!’
– The capacity for [Skeleton Bomb] storage has been fixed at 500.
‘500?! That’s over double!’
– Your potential as a doll sculptor has been discovered. You’ve acquired the skill [Doll Sculpting]!
‘That’s right!’
– Restrictions on [Sanctum of Vigilance] have been partially lifted. The ‘Escape Prevention’ feature has been significantly upgraded!
‘So that’s why growth was limited!’
Every time I read the message, I couldn’t help but let out silent exclamations of amazement.
Moreover, this wasn’t even the end.
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.
