The Desperate Road to the 8th Circle
After the Goddess Department war, his days became a relentless chain of crises, all in a frantic bid to master the magic the being had granted him. The moment he received the grimoire, there was no time left for grief. He rushed straight to his Master.
Before the old man could even voice his shock at the change in his disciple, the 8th Circle grimoire was thrust into his hands. His eyes widened in disbelief.
“Even if you made a pact with a demon, they only give power. They never hand over knowledge like this. You didn’t meet a Demon God, did you? More importantly, you didn’t sell your soul, right? One wrong move and you’ll be enslaved to the Demon Realm for eternity.”
“I almost wish I had. Damn it—! If I ever let my emotions run my mouth again, I’m no mage.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m fine, so please study it yourself, Master. We have to survive first.”
“Right. But… this really is an 8th Circle grimoire?”
“It is. The one who gave it to me wouldn’t lie about something like that.”
“Then why does the power described here feel so absurdly excessive?”
“Pardon?”
His Master pointed to a passage while reading.
“It says that mastering the 8th Circle grants enough destructive force to shatter a continent.”
“What?”
It was nonsense. Even a 7th Circle transcendent mage could only destroy a single hill. A complete master of the 7th Circle might barely manage to level a small castle. Shatter a continent? He had shown the grimoire to his Master without reading it himself, still dazed from the insane act he had committed. Naturally, he had only glanced at the cover. The contents grew more outrageous with every line.
His Master continued reading with a deepening frown.
“Mastering the 9th Circle should allow the destruction of a planet. The 10th Circle, a planet and its satellites. The 11th Circle, an entire solar system. The 12th Circle, a galaxy. The 13th Circle, the universe itself. Anything beyond that follows general standards. Planets I can understand, but what on earth are these higher levels? And it says the ‘Root’ must be capable of creation as well. Only when all of this is achieved will the Circle be recognized and advancement granted. ‘Root’—isn’t that our school? Since when do black mages destroy and create?”
“Hiiiiiiik—!”
A scream escaped him. He snatched the 8th Circle grimoire from his Master’s hands and began reading it himself. The word “Root” obviously referred to him. As he read the preface, his eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
“Creation? That’s… that’s impossible. I’m a black mage, not a white mage. Even if I become a god, I’ll be a Demon God, never a God of Light. How am I supposed to create anything? And what kind of recognition standard is this? Requiring two full Circles above the norm? This is absurd—!”
A voice answered his outburst at once.
“Such is the natural standard for one who bears my title. Are you saying the brave Root who promised me a price intends to disappoint me? Will you face judgment now?”
“Hiiiiiiik—! I’ll do it! I’ll become a God of Light somehow and achieve creation as well!”
“I admire your courage. Should you invoke my title on the battlefield, we shall meet again. At that time, I will review your results.”
His Master froze, face turning deathly pale as the voice echoed from nowhere. After a long silence, he finally spoke with a weary sigh.
“You’ve truly gone mad, haven’t you? That wasn’t a god or a demon. It was something far beyond, wasn’t it? Back when you were 6th Circle, I told you to practice summoning a simple familiar and you nearly got yourself killed by a high-ranking succubus draining your vitality. Now at 7th Circle you’re contacting something like that? You’re digging your own grave. Creation? How is a black mage supposed to manage that? Become a God of Light? Even becoming a black mage means every temple of light will hunt you down. Didn’t I teach you that gods consider black mages who contract with demons enemies of the Middle World and are desperate to kill us?”
“Ah… ah!”
Watching his disciple descend into panic, the Master sighed again and resumed reading the grimoire, grumbling that the fool was talented at magic but hopelessly immature.
“Master! No matter how much you care for your disciple, this is someone else’s problem. But please, help me somehow.”
Even as confusion, resentment, and regret churned inside him, the only person he could rely on was his Master. After staring at the 8th Circle grimoire for a long time, the old man finally reached a conclusion.
“According to this, there is only one method. Even if you master time and space—the higher attributes above light and darkness—you would only become a Demon God of space and time through black magic. Only the concept above those, ‘Dimension,’ can also carry the attribute of light. However…”
“Yes?”
Hope flickered in his eyes at the mention of a method. His Master pointed toward the center of the Great Cavity with a grim expression. That was the forbidden zone where the dimensional barrier connected to the Demon Realm and the demonic energy of the Great Forest swirled together. He had always been forbidden from approaching it, warned that one step too close could send him flying to who-knows-where. Even from a distance, space and time twisted violently there, constantly tearing apart. It was a place no one would willingly enter.
“Dimension is among the most powerful of the highest attributes, yet it is notoriously difficult to master. Fortunately, the frequent dimensional barriers and rifts here make observation and practice easier. But a single mistake will send you straight to the Demon Realm—and that will be the end. Demons can use their full power there. Even a mid-rank demon would be unbeatable. Moreover, they see weaker humans only as sources of vitality and will definitely kill you.”
“……”
“And aren’t you a black mage? Even if you obtain the divinity of Dimension and become a God of Light, there’s no guarantee the Divine Realm will accept you. You might instead be branded a traitor in the Demon Realm as well and become a public enemy.”
The mere fact that a method existed gave him strength. He examined the grimoire himself.
‘It describes the concept and operation of Dimension. It requires an enormous amount of mana to master, but with my refined mana, it should be possible.’
Hope appeared.
‘I just need to become an 8th Circle God of Light and hide here.’
As long as he avoided that being’s judgment.
‘What would I even do if I ascended to the Divine Realm?’
He still had to endlessly raise his magic. Time would be stolen from him, and he would likely be betrayed by the gods. He made his decision.
“I’ll obtain the authority of Dimension, become a God of Light, and live here. Thanks to the dimensional barrier, no god can approach or detect me, right? Fortunately, there’s no time limit on the promise, so I’ll just master magic until he dies.”
“Weren’t you crying about being lonely? Didn’t you say you wanted to get out no matter what?”
“I have to survive first, by any means necessary. Thinking about it, going outside would only mean battlefields or being hunted. My life would be in constant danger, so I’m not going out.”
“W-well, that’s true. Still, wouldn’t it be better to meet a decent woman, enjoy life, and have children?”
“From what I saw in your memories, even the most beautiful human women can’t compare to the ordinary high elves here. They lack the sexual allure of a succubus, and after being tormented by the High Elf Queens, I’m sick of women. Children? I might die at any moment. If I die, it’s over. What children?”
“Th-that’s also true.”
“Let’s master the 8th Circle first and become a god. Once my lifespan becomes infinite, I just have to endure here.”
“That’s true, but there’s another problem.”
“What?”
With a dark expression, his Master pointed to the lower central area of the Great Cavity. There, refined mana flowed where the demonic energy of the Demon Realm and the vitality of the Great Forest collided.
‘The source of my mana.’
The collision between demonic energy and vitality continuously generated large quantities of refined mana.
“You know the Great Forest became a magic-forbidden zone because of the clash between the Demon Realm’s energy and the forest’s vitality, right?”
“Yes. That’s why only internal body magic works here.”
“When the gate to the Demon Realm opens, the refined mana disappears and stays gone for about a year. Only the central region remains safe; the rest of the Great Cavity fills with refined mana that is extremely toxic to the races of the Great Forest. That’s why we nearly died to the High Elf Empire last time, remember?”
A shiver ran through his body. When the High Elf Empire’s forces had entered the Great Cavity, they had been forced into a desperate year-long struggle for survival rather than normal battles. Because only the central area was safe, they had been bombarded with arrows and long-range spirit attacks. They had countered with magic fueled by the local demonic energy, but the enemy numbers were overwhelming. The High Elves rotated their forces while the two of them endured a hell worse than actual hell. Even the Red High Elf Queen had tied a rope around her waist and charged into the center. Her body melted, yet she still managed to pierce his Master’s heart with a spirit sword. If they hadn’t belonged to the Root School, whose circles were engraved in the skull, they would have died instantly.
Afterward, fearing the Red High Elf Queen would melt completely, the empire had pulled her back with the rope. But even as her muscles dissolved, she had still tried to take his head as well. The memory made his blood run cold. It had been concluded that the opening of the Demon Realm gate was an irregular and rare phenomenon.
“I summoned a low-rank demon and asked. Apparently, once every hundred years, the Demon Realm dumps its war losers here. So once every hundred years, we have to fight and defeat the High Elf Empire just to keep living here. And never engage them even after reaching the 8th Circle. The High Elf Empire and their Queens may have their power restricted in the Middle World, but they have a record of killing even a 10th Circle high demon lord through combined attacks. You won’t be safe until you reach 10th Circle mastery. They’re infamous even in the Demon Realm for being vicious.”
“……”
Even choosing the lesser evil left the situation bleak. His head throbbed. The Master let out a long sigh and continued.
“This 8th Circle grimoire is perfectly tailored for you, who built your circles with the refined mana of the Great Forest. Learning it will be remarkably easy and suitable. As an ordinary black mage, I can only use it as reference. Given the time I have left, mastering it will be difficult, but I’ll help you as much as I can. Never despair. Let’s do our best. We are the Root School. In the end, we are the ones who survive.”
“Yes, Master.”
Some time later, he became an 8th Circle lower god. His Master, having witnessed his growth with joy, passed away peacefully.
‘He said that raising me into a Dimensional God through magic left him with no regrets as a black mage.’
Left alone, he spiraled into grief and loneliness. He infiltrated the High Elf Empire, turned it upside down, and waged desperate battles against the High Elf Queens.
‘They can keep up with the speed granted by the grimoire he gave me, but they cannot surpass it. I too could destroy the continent with the authority of Dimension, yet the magic-nullifying phenomenon of the Great Forest prevented me from ending things. So I repeated hit-and-run battles in a frenzy.’
Eventually, some measure of sanity returned and he began researching countermeasures.
‘Even with instant hit-and-run tactics, my life remains in danger. If I, barely 8th Circle, receive concentrated attacks from an empire of one billion high elves for an entire year, I won’t survive. I have to grow stronger and master the 10th Circle if I want to live.’
Using information obtained through his connections and the authority of Dimension, he gathered every scrap of dimensional knowledge he could find, strengthened his magic, and finally reached the threshold of the 10th Circle—albeit narrowly. It happened in his thirties. Once he gained some breathing room after reaching that level, he suddenly longed to see his parents and nursemaid. He decided to leave the Great Forest for a while, of course while layering countless disguises so the Divine Realm would never notice his existence.
Venturing out in an incomplete state was, as expected, a reckless act driven by emotion.
‘I got caught by the Divine Realm. If I had quietly mastered magic here and transcended the 10th Circle master stage, I could have built an expanded magic tower in the Great Cavity and lived comfortably.’
While leaving the Great Forest, he overturned a High Elf city and looted their treasury. The High Elf Queens, who had been grinding their teeth over him, charged at full power using spirit fusion. After a fierce battle that revealed why they had once killed even a 10th Circle demon lord despite wielding only one-tenth of their strength, all his disguises were stripped away. Detected by the Divine Realm, he fought Granzoa and was subsequently bound by a karma contract.
Afterward, under the pretext of being the leader of black mages, he was forced to wander battlefields across dimensions whenever black mages committed evil deeds. He had no choice but to funnel maximum benefits to the opposing side, contribute to the universe, and accumulate positive karma.
‘Even that was only a temporary measure. As a black mage, there was no other way to contribute besides war.’
The Dimensional Lord spent over seventy years enduring countless unfair situations and desperate struggles that brought tears to his eyes. The sly Main God of the Divine Realm and the ill-tempered demon gods hired him as a valuable main-god-level mercenary god, but because of his “evil” alignment, they never allowed him to wander or stay long-term anywhere except the battlefield. In the end, his only home remained the magic tower in the Great Forest.
‘I would use the authority of Dimension to locate battlefields across the universe, request participation from the managing god there, receive compensation, and return. That cycle repeated.’
Other main-god-level mercenary gods received enough compensation from a single battle to build their own Divine Realms. But he, certified by the Divine Realm as the leader of millions of black mages who committed heinous acts, could only be satisfied with the contract itself because his karma was “evil.” The rewards given were pitiful, and surveillance was so strict that secretly taking anything was nearly impossible. His life never escaped poverty.
Later, when the Cyber Realm began managing requests, things improved slightly, but not by much.
‘During preparations for the second opening of the Demon Realm gate that I had learned about, I accepted a request from the succubus queen—the first woman to take my virginity—and made a contract with a banished demon lord out of pity. That branded me a perfect enemy to the Middle World, Divine Realm, and Demon Realm alike. I buried two demon lords with magic tools, eliminated the millions of black mages who had tormented me, negotiated desperately with the swindler Main God of the Divine Realm, and finally reached where I am now.’
That was his situation and his past.
‘When I think about it, I survived in a truly wretched manner. But what can I do? If I die or give up on living, it’s over for me because of him.’
The Dimensional Lord could never escape the Absolute Being who had bestowed upon him the title of “Root.”
‘Originally, the meaning and authority of the title were different, but I learned thoroughly that all disasters begin with a careless tongue. Out of spite, I will survive and grow stronger no matter what. Even if this struggle is nothing more than the desperate flailing of someone who has lost hope in a harsh reality like these goddesses.’
One day, he would pay the being back in full and regain his freedom.
‘But when will he die? According to Divine Realm records, his estimated age is 40 billion years. He has lived through an era that even Creator Gods cannot endure. Even gods who live eternally must repeat 400 generations to reach that point. Yet he still looks like a boy in his growth phase. I can’t imagine him dying naturally. Defeated by someone? He is an absolute powerhouse who led the Creator Gods and all the gods and demon gods they created into war and suppressed every single one without killing any. The idea is insane.’
Even boasting about him was difficult.
‘I heard that even the One and Only Dragon God Emperor—absolute god of all dragon gods and dragonkin, and Origin of his son who overwhelms even Creator Gods—gets beaten up under the pretext of training whenever they meet, scolded for being “half” despite being an Absolute Being, and spends his time crying.’
That was a story for later. For now, he had to be of help. His enemy was the entire universe led by the Creator Gods—not one, but nearly all of them who had challenged the being countless times, been defeated, and submitted completely, save for a few.
‘Our Creator God is currently challenging him as well. Lately he hasn’t been cursing the being, so he must be at his limit.’
Even with all the knowledge the being had given them, even after strengthening gods and demon gods and including the Substitute Gods he had placed under their command, they were still no match. If they lost, they would be beaten half to death and returned as Creator Gods. Then, once stronger than before, they would lead all Creator Gods and challenge him again. They had repeated this cycle endlessly.
‘It would be easier if they just gave up.’
Living longer than that being and helping him would require training magic for more than the 40 billion years he had already lived. Who knew what would happen then?
‘At least 40 billion years? I’m going insane. I was only a human who couldn’t even live a hundred years!’