The Skewer That Outranks the Gods
"Lily, don't you have that ring from the siege warfare?"
"Right. This should do it."
At Yena's question, I brought the ring out of its transparent concealment state.
The Mythic-grade ring I'd received as the MVP reward for the siege.
A ring set with a jewel swirled in red and blue, its ability being Condition Removal. The effect was simple, but its purification power was exceptional—strong enough to wipe away even a Mythic-grade debuff.
With this, I could cleanse—
"It's a soulbound item, though."
"...Huh? You mean you can't use it on someone else?"
"Nope."
I'd known the siege ring was soulbound. What I hadn't known was that its Condition Removal couldn't be applied to another person. Which meant the ring was useless for our current problem.
After that, we went back and forth debating various approaches.
Everything from trying to break the soulbinding somehow, to the absurd suggestion of PKing the necklace to rip it off directly, to the ever-popular "why don't you just do it with your own power, Lily."
Honestly, that last one wasn't impossible—but forcing it open felt a little reckless. If this was a curse from the Mythic Era, it would be deeply entangled with ancient monsters or the Celestial and Demon tribes. Some of those beings were beyond what the current me could handle. If I botched it, Minoa could get swept away by an overwhelming power and suffer a catastrophe like Yena once had.
The system had stabilized, so it might be fine to a degree—but the present me hadn't recovered enough power to shut down every variable. And using the Crown of Succession was out of the question.
Minoa, who had been listening quietly to our discussion, finally let out a bitter laugh.
"...It's useless. Removing the curse is impossible."
"You said it was possible earlier."
"Only in the sense that the 'curse' itself could theoretically be dispelled. This is less a curse and more of a 'trial.'"
Minoa shared his story briefly.
He had been an unofficial ranker—one who operated using the Secret System, keeping his name off the leaderboards. Even at this very moment, a fair number of unofficial rankers were enjoying DeoEn that way.
Two years ago, while active as an unofficial ranker, Minoa had gained the chance to enter the World Tree. Reaching the mid-levels of the tree, the Spirits' Chamber, he discovered something strange alongside an odd spirit.
"The Multicolored Successor. A necklace that had been devouring the Spirits' Chamber."
A necklace that was, incredibly, Mythic-grade—or beyond it. As a player, Minoa had no reason whatsoever to leave a Mythic-grade item sitting there unclaimed, and he took the necklace at once.
And then he regretted it.
"Greed, as they say, invites disaster."
"So you've been here ever since?"
"I have. Thanks to the World Tree's grace, I endured the curse within a space that suppressed my power... but I could see no end to it."
And so Minoa had endured the curse of the Multicolored Successor—its trial.
The trial was simple in nature.
"It's a monster's trial. A trial belonging to a truly enormous monster that existed in the Mythic Era."
"So that gray energy is that monster's power?"
"That's right."
At Leo's question, Minoa nodded, his left eye swirling rapidly. I looked at the necklace.
"Then the Erosion Dungeon must be that thing's doing too. And the true nature of the dungeon Merni contracted with, as well."
"That's correct. Everything that happened there traces back to this item from the very beginning."
"Huh? Then the World Tree knew the whole time?"
Yena stared at Minoa as if something didn't add up, and Leo—who knew the World Tree—also voiced her doubts, but I just let it slide.
That's the World Tree for you.
Beings like this—less "species" and closer to a natural phenomenon, not even ancient monsters—were mostly numb to worldly affairs. Being fundamentally closer to inanimate objects, they hardly cared what latched onto or eroded a part of their own body.
Unless they took a blow severe enough to burn their entire form away.
I'd thought it had come to its senses after that incident, when it created the Children of the World Tree... but apparently, it hadn't changed a bit.
"...Should've just let it burn, honestly."
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing. More importantly, I suspect there's more than just one monster involved."
The thing was called the Multicolored Successor from its very name. The energy flowing out of Minoa right now was gray, nothing more—but surely there were monsters of other colors as well.
Minoa clutched the necklace and his breath grew ragged. He seemed to lose his composure just from thinking about it, and only after some time had passed did he finally take his hand off the necklace.
"...In fact, that's the biggest reason the curse can't be removed. If one thing is unleashed and the others come pouring out after it, the entire continent—including the World Tree itself—might be in danger."
"It's that serious?"
"Yes. That serious, Yena."
"......"
If what I was imagining was accurate, then it wasn't an exaggeration.
After all, there was me, and there was Leo—and there was also the annoying Hwangyeolgong, who claimed to protect the "subjects of the Empire." If it came to it, Hwangyeolgong would move before any monster could swallow the continent whole.
"...Then—hypothetically, if the curse could be removed without any harm coming to anyone. Would you be willing to hand it over?"
"...I wouldn't say no. In fact, I'd be the one begging you to."
Even as he said it, Minoa's eyes were still full of distrust. A look that said: don't touch it out of curiosity and ruin everything—just leave.
"I see. Understood."
I had his permission.
Now all that remained was removing the curse.
"Do you happen to have a method in mind?"
"If it were a simple curse, I'd have been in trouble—but since it's a trial, there might just be a way."
"? What wayyyyy?"
"It's simple."
I opened a subspace.
What Minoa was afflicted with wasn't a mere curse, but a trial meant to test whether he could accept a great power. If he simply passed that trial, his curse would lift naturally—no forceful removal required.
And as for the trial...
"You just have to satisfy it."
"...A skewer?"
Minoa's expression warped strangely. Of all things, a skewer, in this situation? It certainly looked delicious enough to make your mouth water just from looking at it—but it didn't seem like a tool for resolving a trial.
"Ah—don't tell me it's some kind of medium for the curse? Shaped like a skewer?"
"...Mm. Well, you could think of it that way."
This was a Mythic-grade consumable—the Heavenly Skewer. Its one notable feature: it is outrageously delicious.
"Eat up."
And monsters love delicious things.
I brought the skewer—plump, mouthwatering meat glistening on its length—up to Minoa's lips. He eyed the reddish skewer with suspicion, then finally, half in doubt, half in hope, bit into it.
And froze up like a robot whose signal had been cut.
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
"Khh...!"
He's crying. His shoulders were shaking, and Minoa had begun sobbing uncontrollably. He went past mere crying straight into full-blown wailing.
"WHAAAAAAAH!!!"
...Was it really that good?
The curse was lifting.
Not just lifting—both his eyes were flooding with gray light, and his clothes bloomed open like a robe of wings. Twang! The necklace dropped from his throat.
From the fallen necklace, multicolored liquid came pouring out. Even the necklace is crying.
What on earth is going on.
Just how delicious was it to cause this whole scene? I tore off a piece of meat from the other end of the skewer—everything except where Minoa had bitten—and tasted it.
"...Wow."
"What what? How good is it?"
"It's goddamn incredible."
My tongue felt like it was melting. This was the kind of taste that could claim the number-one spot of my entire life, all foods included. If I were a normal person, I might have burst into tears just like Minoa.
"Wow... wow... wow..."
It's delicious.
Incredibly, insanely, absurdly delicious.
"It's insanely insanely insanely good. Is this real life?"
This is madness. Is this what cuisine in heaven tastes like? I stared blankly at the skewer.
I want more. How do I make more of this?
First things first, I'd tear off a portion and work out a recipe. With my cooking skills and magic, I could manage something... no, wait. That's still not right.
Seeing my dazed reaction, Leo and Yena crept closer, wearing big, pleading puppy eyes that begged for just one bite. I stepped back, hiding the skewer behind me.
"It's mine."
"Lily, we're not strangers, are we?"
"Lily! You only got that thanks to me, nyaa!"
"That has nothing to do with it!"
How could I possibly hand over something this delicious? No. Absolutely not. When I refused flatly, Leo's cheeks puffed up like balloons.
"You're really, really not going to share...?"
"Nope."
"Then I'm never letting you touch my cheeks again!"
Leo threatened, puffing out her two round cheeks at me. For a moment, I flinched.
That... that I can't allow.
"......"
"I'm making sure you can never, ever poke them again."
"F-fine. I'll share."
The cheeks must be protected.
"...What about me?"