Chapter 361: Reorganization
Chapter 361: Reorganization
I killed Ugly Prosperity.
One of the Evil Gods who presided over carnal desire, a monstrosity that had survived even the Great War three hundred years ago.
I had used various tricks and struck during a relatively vulnerable moment, but regardless, I had sent it into eternal slumber.
And I did it before even reaching the rank of Archmage.
Well, the final conversation I had with Ugly Prosperity was a bit bitter and left me with a lot to think about.
"Haa... haa...!"
Setting that aside, my heart began to throb, pounding like crazy.
I was the one who did it, but isn't this kind of badass? I actually pulled this off? This?
The corners of my mouth twitched into a grin despite myself. However, after setting such a serious mood, it felt a bit tacky to immediately shout "Yee-haw!", so I was busy forcing my expression back into composure.
Perhaps I looked strange doing that. Carla, who had followed me, cautiously tugged at my sleeve.
"Um... Master?"
"Hm? I'm fine. I'm sane. I was just lost in thought for a moment."
"O-Oh, no. Master is always sane. If Master were ever considered 'not normal,' then it would be the world that is wrong."
"..."
Talk about blind faith. She’d probably believe me even if I told her a platypus was a monster created by crossbreeding a duck and a raccoon.
Unfazed by my speechless reaction, Carla continued steadfastly.
"It’s those two who don't seem sane."
"Huh? ...Ah."
At the tip of Carla’s pointing finger were Elisha and Iris.
"Hehehe. Master, did you hear? He said it’ll last at least a thousand years."
"Mhehehe. Of course, Elisha. Hasn't our Master already proven it?"
"Ehehe."
"Ihihi."
The two of them were giggling at each other as if they’d taken some dangerous drugs.
Wait, was I about to laugh like that too...?
Of course, to an Elf, a Thousand Year Vow is a promise of immense significance, and I had technically just fulfilled it, so I could understand their reaction.
Part of me wanted to jump in there, laugh along with them, head back, and spend seven days and nights working through everything we’d built up... but...
"Alright, alright. It’s too early to celebrate, so get your heads in the game."
"Huh? What do you mean by that, dear?"
"Didn't Master defeat Ugly Prosperity? Is there something else left?"
"Maybe, maybe not."
"...Aha? Are you talking about Boiling Silence?"
"Exactly."
Boiling Silence had already suffered a massive loss back in the Levantine Empire when I turned the tables on him. He lost a significant portion of the believers he had spread across the continent.
And now, while trying to support Ugly Prosperity, he lost all his followers again? And it looked like there were quite a few high-ranking priests mixed in there too.
At this point, the roots of his cult weren't just shaken; they were practically ripped out. There was no way that petty bastard would just take this lying down.
"His grudge against me must have deepened, so he might try to ambush us while we're exhausted. So, let's not let our guard down until we're back in Yggdrasil. We can celebrate as much as we want after that, right?"
"What, is that all? Student Yandel, you were acting so serious I thought I’d missed something! Don't worry! We're all prepared for that much!"
Iona chuckled and poked me in the ribs, her tension clearly easing.
As she said, this might just be a trivial worry. However, if I knew Boiling Silence, he would definitely attack. It was obvious that if he didn't do it now, he wouldn't have another chance.
I would only get stronger, and Boiling Silence, having lost his foundation, would only get weaker.
Even if I were to die, it would have nothing to do with Boiling Silence. In the end, it would mean he never got to settle his grudge.
But if there really was no ambush...?
'It means he doesn't even have the strength left for that.'
It would also mean it was our chance to go find Boiling Silence ourselves and snip his persistent thread of life.
With a smirk, I led the group back to Yggdrasil.
There was no ambush.
*
The first thing we did upon returning to Yggdrasil was take a deep rest.
I heard that while I was gathering mana inside the World Tree, everyone else had fought without a wink of sleep.
Whatever we had to do, we needed to sleep first.
Though most of my memories from the time distortion had faded, I hadn't forgotten everything.
Regardless, using such massive-scale magic had taken a toll on my mental strength, so I needed some downtime.
For that reason, I spent three days doing nothing but eating and sleeping in the room where the World Tree's blessing was strongest.
Now fully recovered, I was rolling around on the bed, hugging the sleeping Iris like a security blanket.
Ding!
"Oh."
It was the settlement notification I had been waiting for.
It likely meant Milone had captured all the remnants of Ugly Prosperity or driven away the detached force that had been running rampant on the outskirts of the Great Forest.
System settlements always arrived only after the incident in question was completely resolved.
Fiddling with Iris’s unresisting, warm, soft, and squishy belly, I opened the system window.
======================
【Ugly Prosperity Defeated】
The Mother of a Thousand Teats and a Thousand Phalluses, the Master of Twisted Births, the Bearer of the Mortal Sin of Lust, a member of the Seven Great Evil Gods, a Transcendent of the Outer Universe... you may call it whatever you wish.
All these names refer to Ugly Prosperity, and you have led that foul goddess into eternal silence.
This is truly a marvelous feat!
Though the circumstances were unique, this is a feat of God-Slaying that never occurred even during the era when the Good Gods walked the earth!
Your fame will spread across the entire continent, and everyone shall show you respect.
The Good Gods of the heavens are no different.
They have seen in you the faith that the nightmare thought to have ended three hundred years ago will not be repeated.
They shall truly cherish, respect, and honor you.
There are six Evil Gods remaining.
Killing them all, or banishing them to the outer universe before they escape their seals, will not be an easy task.
However, for now, it is fine to enjoy a moment of peace.
Take care, God-Slayer.
The future of the Eurelia Continent rests in your hands.
======================
"Ssssp."
The rewards seemed a bit subtle for defeating an Evil God. Actually, it was because the God-Slayer title was the real prize, and the rest were just bonuses.
======================
【Title: God-Slayer】
You have succeeded in slaying a god with a human body.
Granting a mortal end to an eternal being is absolutely impossible through mere strength alone; it requires luck, strategy, and numerous other conditions.
Perhaps you were born under a special destiny.
As long as you do not give up, nothing shall be able to break you.
======================
Not only did it have these effects, but every time I killed another Evil God, one of the options would be randomly strengthened.
Because of that, the reputation, affinity, and stats felt like bonuses—no matter how much they went up, it was just a "the more, the merrier" situation... The problem was that the stat increase just happened to be for Magic.
The increase was massive, but since I was already at the limit of a High Magician, I couldn't increase my mana any further.
If it had been an all-stat increase like usual, my physical body would have improved...
Of course, I knew the reason.
It was because I hadn't run around and engaged in melee combat like I usually did; I had won by staying in the back and firing off spells like a traditional mage.
I knew it couldn't be helped, but man, what a waste.
"Tsk."
I was nibbling on Iris’s long ears with my lips, feeling disappointed for no reason.
Ding!
An unexpected second notification rang out.
======================
【Special Conditions Met】
Vast life force is concentrating in your heart, and mana exceeding your limits is filling your body.
The energy seethes. Trait: Endless Mana (A) reacts.
It aligns with the purpose. Trait: Lintblum Mana Core (A) reacts.
A nostalgic scent lingers. Trait: Origin Regression (S) reacts.
Sufficient achievements have been accumulated.
The three traits are synthesized into one.
======================
???
I’m just lying here comfortably playing with Iris’s belly and ears, though?
Why would I need mana to tease Iris, who was snuggling into my arms, twitching—whether because she was already awake and wanted more attention or for some other reason?
"Ah."
Wait a minute. This description sounds a bit familiar.
Most of my memories from the time distortion were gone, and they might disappear completely as time passed, but some things remained.
For example, the memory of almost fainting from the backlash when I deactivated Dragonization after trying to hold out...
No matter how I thought about it, that incident must be the "special conditions" mentioned there.
And the final condition, "sufficient achievements," obviously referred to defeating Ugly Prosperity.
With a dazed heart, I checked the trait window.
======================
【Dragon Heart (EX)】
Your heart is no longer human, but that of a Dragon!
Of course, strictly speaking, it’s not a literal heart, but rather the unique mana organ of the Dragon race.
A special mana furnace that can produce and store vast amounts of mana and help you dominate the surrounding mana.
That is the Dragon Heart.
Massive size, hard scales, superior intelligence, and so on—there are many reasons why Dragons are called a great race...
But what makes a Dragon most like a Dragon is the Dragon Heart!
That Dragon Heart has begun to dwell within your chest!
...Can you truly be called a mere human anymore?
======================
I read the description over and over. Especially the part about the mana capacity limit being removed.
Holy crap. This actually dropped.
A surge of overwhelming joy rose from deep within my chest, and I shouted without thinking.
"Krawrawrargh!!"
"Hieek! M-Master! Don't suddenly let out such a weird roar! My ears hurt!"
Ahem.
Everyone knows it's the law for Dragons to go "Krawrawrargh!"