Black Eye
"No way... Are you telling me to become a divine beast right now?"
"To be precise, it's about transforming your spirit body into a divine beast. A divine beast egg is like water in an empty bottle right now. Depending on what you put in it, its nature changes completely."
I continued, showing Gullak the orb.
"It's an egg containing the condensed power of the divine beasts once called the Three Great Sovereigns from the past, sealed in the belly of the Spirit Devourer. If you use this, you might gain the power of spirits. The new power could even open up another realm for the Chil-ya swordsmanship you've spent your life creating."
"Heh, heh heh... It's one thing that you barged into my subspace without even grasping the basics of Chil-ya, but you're utterly unpredictable."
Even as he spoke those words, I immediately caught the flicker in Gullak's eyes. He was called the War God, but he wasn't some battle-mad lunatic. He was a man who yearned to see the pinnacle of the martial art he'd forged. For someone like him, this second chance was something he couldn't easily let slip away.
"Well... if you succeed in the divine beast transformation and reach a new realm... it'd be even better if you could lend me a hand. To be honest, I think I'll need your help against that thing."
"...That thing?"
Gullak stared at me.
"You wondered how far Chil-ya could go if infused with mana, right? It wasn't Chil-ya, but I've seen it with my own eyes."
"...!"
Gullak seemed shocked into silence by my words.
"That's madness. Do you think no one throughout history has ever had the same idea as you? It's greed. A lifetime isn't enough to master even one path. Overreaching just leads to half-baked results that excel at nothing."
But he shook his head at my words.
"It's hard enough to reach the pinnacle down one path your whole life, let alone combining two opposing forces at once? It's impossible."
"Who knows. If you truly reach the extremes in both, it wouldn't be greed or arrogance anymore."
I gave a wry smile at his words.
"That's why I need Chil-ya. And you. Even if it's inferior to Chil-ya, the Yong-gong Geom-sik that claimed the title of strongest sword after Chil-ya vanished was shattered by one man. By the swordsmanship that broke yours."
"...What?"
"It couldn't even resist properly, even if it didn't infuse mana like now—it was utterly futile."
Gullak's face twisted in disbelief at my words.
"And that's not all. Neither the magic of a mage wielding mana as fierce as a dragon's, nor the sacrificial spell Secriphize traded for a high priest's life, could touch him."
Gullak's expression hardened.
"While humanity spent ages dividing sword and magic into separate paths, that thing arrived as a being who reached the extreme in every aspect."
"I don't follow. Just who the hell is this 'thing' that's got even someone like you scared?"
"Who knows."
I bit my lip slightly.
"I don't know its name."
"Hm?"
"But there's another way we call it."
Gullak stared at me.
"We called it the Calamity."
"...!"
It was ridiculous that the first person I spilled this long-held secret from my dreams to was an NPC, but the moment I faced Gullak, I knew. I'd always been in the position of the strong. Carrying everyone's expectations, I had to fight without betraying them. Always at the forefront. But that's why my defeat was more horrific than anything.
And yet... seeing Gullak, this legendary being who surpassed even me, I couldn't hold back anymore. I poured out my innermost thoughts.
Am I acting spoiled or something?
The thought made me smile wryly without realizing it, but even if he was an NPC, saying it out loud lightened the weight on my chest.
"Doesn't sound like a lie."
Unlike my half-doubting murmur, Gullak looked at me with profound meaning.
"...Pardon?"
"You're saying you've set foot toward the realm that thing reached, aren't you? Right?"
I couldn't answer his question easily.
"I acknowledge your swordsmanship has merit, but are you certain you have talent for magic too?"
I shook my head.
"No idea. But don't they say the extremes connect as one? Sword and magic are different, but the pinnacle is singular. I'm not thinking I can master magic just because I'm talented with the sword."
"...Then?"
I looked straight at him.
"I'm doing it simply because I must reach it."
Otherwise, I'd lose again. I couldn't repeat that future of death.
"To me, sword and magic are just means and tools. Since the pinnacle I'm aiming for is the same."
"You want to grow stronger?"
"No."
I shook my head.
"I want to win."
"...!"
How much time passed?
"Return to the source through myriad paths... Everyone sees sword and magic as polar opposites, yet you view their extremes from a completely different angle. But in the end, isn't the pinnacle you're chasing just killing intent?"
After staring at me silently for a long while, he let out a low sigh.
"Who knows."
I met his gaze.
"A sword has two edges. It can kill or save. Magic is the same—power to kill or to heal. Sword and magic are merely tools. They don't inherently lean toward murder or salvation."
"...It depends on the will of the one wielding it."
Gullak murmured in a low voice, as if my words stirred deep thoughts. His grip tightened on his sword in response.
"I won't deny there's killing intent in the realm I'm pursuing. But if I must become a greater calamity to stop the Calamity, then I will."
"...!"
He looked at me.
Gullak takes an interest in you.
Affinity may change.
"Standing at the pinnacle of everything, not limited to sword and magic... As someone who's gripped a sword my whole life, it's endlessly humbling. But it's a realm everyone dreams of yet no one can reach. I was the same."
I nodded slowly at Gullak's words.
"Why do you think dragons, called the greatest intelligences, separated sword and magic?"
"But maybe it's possible precisely because we're human."
"Heh heh... I never thought I'd meet someone who thinks like you. It's like seeing my master."
Even the War God had a master?
Imagining Gullak, the creator of the supreme Chil-ya swordsmanship called the strongest, learning from someone was unimaginable, but of course he must have been a disciple once.
Like seeing his master... I wonder what that means.
His final words piqued my curiosity slightly, but I brushed it aside.
Because he slowly raised his greatsword.
"This should be interesting."
"Do you have the confidence to reach the pinnacle you speak of?"
"Yes."
This final chance given to me. Whether coincidence or fate, at this moment when dreams and reality intertwined and applied to the virtual world, I believed it was my one and only shot to defeat that thing.
Gullak feels affinity toward your confidence.
Gullak's reputation toward you shifts from Neutral to Slightly Favorable.
Affinity Lv2 effect activates!
Connection list updates.
'War God of the North' connection slot created.
"I'll make a contract with you. I'm curious how far you can go."
He seized the divine beast orb in my palm.
You can add to the connection slot list.
Proceed?
I nodded slowly.
'War God of the North' added to connection slot.
Social skill effect activates!
Gullak's reputation toward you rises rapidly.
Caution: If the target's reputation toward you falls below Neutral, it may drop even more sharply in reverse.
Crack...!
Crack crack...!
As he gripped the orb, dozens of spiderweb cracks spread across its surface. I watched with trembling eyes.
Krunch...!!
Boom-!!
The orb's shell shattered into pieces, and the white gas inside enveloped Gullak's entire body.
Shwoooooaaaah...!!!
As he inhaled, the mist rode the wind and seeped into his body.
"The divine beast orb is essentially a divine beast egg. It grew by devouring food infused with spirit power and hatched, but now my spirit body has merged with the spirit of the divine beast inside the orb."
Gullak savored the spirit energy from the orb with a fulfilled expression, as if tasting fine wine.
"Thanks to that, I can accept the divine beast's power while retaining my will. Congratulations."
"It's all thanks to you. To think I'd step out into the world again..."
Gullak spoke to me with a faintly furrowed brow, as if moved by new emotions.
Contract possible with War God (Divine Beast Transformation) Gullak.
Form divine beast contract?
I extended my hand toward him. But for some reason, he didn't immediately take my hand to swear the contract.
"First, there's something we must do. The being once called Gullak has vanished into history as it should have. Having accepted the divine beast's power, I'm now a completely different existence."
"Pardon...?"
In that moment, he slowly knelt on one knee before me.
"...!!"
"You are now my contractor. Having gained new life, will you bestow upon me a new name?"
Oath Privilege
You can bestow a new name on a loyalty-sworn being (NPC).
The name given by the contractor applies newly to the sworn being (NPC) and persists until death.
Choose a new name.
His unexpected words left me momentarily flustered.
"Don't do this. I know you're Gullak—how could I give you a new name? You know better than anyone the immense value of the War God's name."
But no matter how I tried to raise him, he wouldn't budge.
"An oath demands a clear hierarchy. You may call me Gullak if you wish, but I only hope the glory of the new history we create doesn't fade under the shadow of the old name."
Gullak spoke with a serious face.
"The history of the War God is already over. Grant me permission to aid the history you will forge with this new life."
"...!"
It was stubborn, yes, but his frankness—packaging nothing, speaking plainly—seemed to suit a warrior of the North perfectly. Laughable as it was to discuss autonomy in a programmed NPC, strangely, I felt genuineness from him.
"...Very well."
At that moment, his black eyes sparkled as they met mine.
"Black Eye."
I gazed into those deep, drawing eyes and said it without thinking.
"That's what I'll call you from now on."
As Black Eye bowed his head and slowly rose, a divine beast power like blue ghostflame rippled across his entire body.
The reincarnation of the War God Gullak.
This was truly the moment Dimension World's history changed.