Reforging the Wooden Stick

The Golden Mask.

I first met him at the Empire's auction, and he was the one who later inducted me into the Death God Religion as the "Golden Goat."

Thanks to the Emperor's seal I had received through the Empire's Three Swords in the Abyss Labyrinth remaining valid, I had managed to avoid drawing any serious suspicion.

However…

A special Sashin's Banquet, is it.

If I attended, this would be my second banquet.

At the previous one, Hell had challenged the "All-You-Can-Eat" and tried to absorb countless souls before finally spitting them all back out. Those clumps of souls had later been used as materials for resurrection—alongside the "Eternal Randolph"—when Hell was consumed in the fight against Baal.

The instruction to prepare a special feast… that was aimed at me, no doubt.

At the first banquet, I hadn't brought a single soul. But to participate in this "special banquet," I would need to prepare souls—the Orthodox's feast.

Most of the other patrons brought players' souls, but there's no rule saying it has to be a player's soul.

I slowly stroked my chin.

In that case, I had two usable souls on hand.

One was the soul of the Mage of the Golden Rule, Union. Hell had somehow swapped it out from Isera at some point—probably when we went together to meet Isera.

The problem is that Union is connected to the Empire.

Thanks to Union spilling everything to Hell in exhaustive detail, I had a fairly thorough grasp of who he was. He had been the first Court Mage of the Arhon Empire—a figure of standing who, like the Emperor, had lived through ages upon ages. I couldn't rule out the possibility that the Empire itself had sent Union to invade Earth. Showing Union's soul could invite suspicion.

…There is also the cursed soul.

The soul Ruin had used when cursing the Mad Dragon Ainharthar. That soul had dragged Ainharthar down from the Dragon God's karma and held him under the curse. I had recovered it when I lifted the curse, but I still had no idea whose soul it actually was. Still, anything capable of cursing Ainharthar was clearly the soul of someone extraordinary.

"Where do you intend to go, my lord?"

"Hard to say."

I answered Hudson's question honestly.

I could roughly guess why the White King was looking for me. All the main forces had been forward-deployed to the south. Even I, one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Five Lords, had been dispatched to the desert city of Faisalmer. For the White King and the Black King to summon every main force while they were still carving up territory meant something major had shifted in the war.

I thought I understood what that meant.

The White King is getting impatient.

He may have realized that the end of this war would ultimately mean his defeat—his death. His future sight would have warned him, which was why he was moving so urgently. Even from where I stood, the war's momentum clearly favored the Black King. The main forces alone couldn't hold back the Black King's entire faction. While the Black King kept expanding without pause, the White King had been extremely passive about growing his own power.

The White King still cannot be allowed to fall.

He was the check against the Black King—an umbrella that shielded me. So should I answer his summons?

What was certain was that it was not yet time for him to exit the stage. Until I completely surpassed Wilhelm's level and built up my own power base, he absolutely could not be allowed to leave. One of the reasons I had been able to charge forward without looking back—and a fairly major influence at that—had been the White King himself. That was why I needed to answer his call.

Marquis Weiser. He wants me present for his audience with the King of Balan.

Why?

That, too, was a question. For a simple introduction, bringing Serengeti, the Pure White Knight, would have been more than enough. Serengeti's combat power already ranked among the strongest in the human realm. And yet he still wanted me there…

"Hudson. Has something happened in the Balan Kingdom?"

"Well… there are rumors. Word has been circulating quietly that King Friedrich himself is coming to demand the King of Balan's surrender."

King Friedrich, ruler of the Iron ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kingdom. A young king who had inherited the throne a year ago. I had heard the rumors about him—that a monstrous king had appeared in the east. That his blood was iron, and that every time he twisted that smile of his, war was certain to follow. He was in the middle of conquering the east, so the Balan Kingdom could hardly have been spared.

"Sounds like a foregone conclusion."

"If Marquis Weiser has summoned Lord Randolph… yes. Internally, it seems King Friedrich's visit is all but confirmed."

Marquis Weiser belonged to the Balan Kingdom. He wanted to borrow my strength to protect the king and prepare for the worst. He must have judged that Serengeti alone might not be enough.

The currents here were no less ominous. I couldn't leave either the White King or the Balan Kingdom alone.

And lastly… the same goes for the Primeval Forest.

Even Elder Aruwen, who had set out ahead of us, still hadn't arrived at the Primeval Forest. The fact that Priest Andrew had entered the forest himself was proof of how desperate the situation had become.

All four places—including the Empire—were summons that stirred endless curiosity. But I only had one body.

Therefore—

I go where only I can resolve things.

I nodded, settling on a decision to some degree.

That was when I noticed Hudson fidgeting like a dog that desperately needed to relieve itself, and I opened my mouth.

"Stop squirming like a dog that needs to take a dump and just ask if you're curious about something."

"D-did it show on my face?"

"It did."

"I… if it wouldn't be too forward, may I ask just one thing?"

"Go ahead."

Hudson drew a deep breath and finally managed to speak.

"About this Hall of Contribution, my lord. Why aren't you in first place? This 'MintChocoIsDelicious'… I simply can't understand it."

Ah.

The Hall of Contribution.

It was a fair question. Even if I didn't make my name public, it should have appeared as "Undisclosed." But my name was nowhere to be found in the Hall of Contribution.

MintChocoIsDelicious taking first is a surprise even to me.

Of course, I was curious too. A figure wrapped in mystery. Of all the rankers, the one I was most curious about was MintChocoIsDelicious. But in this invasion war, I hadn't seen anyone resembling them.

The Gate Destroyer. They probably made their mark in Pangenia, not on Earth.

Looking at the title, I could roughly guess what they had done. Just as I had sealed Ahram, the King of the Dead, beneath Kramdel, MintChocoIsDelicious might have destroyed Isera's warps in Pangenia.

The number of invading demons was far too small. Even more so compared to when the King of the Dead was involved.

At most, two hundred thousand. The forces Ahram had gathered beneath Kramdel had been far larger than that. Without the help of the Star Guardians and the main forces, I never would have sealed Ahram. It seemed likely that MintChocoIsDelicious had blocked the invasion warps, preventing additional troops from reaching Earth.

Someone capable of eliminating invasion warps…

Who on earth were they?

The same one who had made a name as a "Messenger" when facing Baal in the Abyss. Clearly no ordinary person. According to Master, they were "a being capable of transforming into multiple characters." Perhaps that was true. The MintChoco I knew was a spirit-illusionist who dealt with corpses—but if they could locate and destroy invasion warps…

Not one person, but possibly a group?

The thought struck me suddenly—that they might be able to possess multiple characters, or that the name "MintChocoIsDelicious" itself might refer to some kind of organization.

"…Lord Randolph?"

Seeing my hardened expression, Hudson called out to me again. I shook my head, recalling the conversation I had shared with the Ancient Dragon God.

"Mm. Rank zero, apparently."

"Pardon? Rank zero?"

"If you keep racking up excess achievements, you get knocked outside the rankings from time to time. And every time that happens, you're supposed to encounter beings who 'aren't in the records.'"

"…??"

The Ancient Dragon God. He, too, had been a being outside the records. Because I had continuously achieved excess feats and absurd scores, I had eventually been bounced out—and ended up inside the Ancient Dragon God's treasure vault.

But he wasn't the only one. Beings outside the records were far more numerous.

Be careful. The beings of the Primal will begin to take notice of you. There will be no more who are as friendly toward you as I was.

Those who have set foot in the Primal Age must also be watched carefully. If they learn of the Primal you possess, they will desperately try to claim it.

The beings of the Primal. And those who had entered the Primal Age. I would have to be wary of them all—but it also meant that going forward, I would continue to have opportunities to encounter and obtain the Primal.

Something only those who had experienced it could understand. Naturally, Hudson, who had never been through it, couldn't possibly grasp it.

I shrugged and said,

"Anyway… have Auryll, Isaac, and Valte returned from Rundela?"

The Ruins City of Rundela. I had sent Auryll, Isaac, and Valte to that place Master had left vacant. After conquering it, I had since transferred it to Park Taewoo.

Hudson nodded.

"Yes. They returned a few days ago."

"Good. Gather them all at the lord's castle, along with Andasar. We're going to light the First Fire."

"The First… Fire?"

Looking at Hudson, who still seemed puzzled, I smiled faintly.

"You'll understand when you see it."

Fwoooooosh!

The fire transferred from the wooden stick into the brazier blazed high. Fire had a way of making those who gazed upon it grow dazed and dreamy. The people gathered here were no exception.

"Th-this fire…!"

The only one truly stunned was Auryll. As an elf, she had vaguely recognized the true nature of this flame.

The Fire of Life!

The fire that was the beginning of all things. Auryll's body trembled. The overwhelming life force radiating from the flame was of a kind she had never witnessed before. Even looking upon the World Tree, she had never felt life force of this magnitude!

The messages rose without end. But this was not the end—it was the beginning.

Fwoosh!

I threw the wooden stick into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rising flames.

Fire. It was everything. And the wooden stick that had carried that fire was the same—the most perfect treasure, capable of becoming anything, of transforming into anything.

And fire always had a way of gifting its bearer whatever suited them best.