The Silver Goddess
The powerful holy relic ranged from legendary to transcendental grade.
Our party's overall combat strength had risen by an entire level.
After all, the equipment was good enough to be used even by Diamond—no, Master-rank players.
“Master, what is that jar?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Come on, you hogged a good relic for yourself and now you’re pretending not to know? That’s not fair.”
“When we get back, you’re sparring with me.”
“Ugh!”
That destructive little brat. True to his origins, he had an even sharper tongue than his predecessor. He possessed a genuine talent for earning beatings just by sitting still.
Once we returned to the real world, I emptied out the entire training hall.
“Yay! No training—”
“You will. Come down in two hours.”
Lee Jiyoung’s face turned deathly pale.
I took my position at the exact center of the training hall.
Silver liquid contained inside a crude vessel. When I gave it the slightest nudge, it rippled like waves inside the bowl. It looked exactly like the mercury we studied in science class.
Deus Ex Machina
-So you intend to test that.
“Yeah. Since I obtained it, I might as well use it right away.”
Deus Ex Machina. Even after digging through my pre-regression knowledge, this was a skill I had never encountered.
I gripped the jar with a heart full of anticipation.
You can manifest any entity you have encountered or remembered.
Please recall or speak the target’s name.
Hyperion.
The first name that came to mind. The constellation who had driven a spear into my chest. Ironically, his rage and power had made possible the miracle of reversing time. How grateful I should be.
I hadn’t actually expected it to work. There was no way a skill capable of manifesting even a constellation existed. This was essentially a test.
At that moment, the gently rippling silver liquid began to boil violently and shot upward into the air.
Thump. Thump.
The Primordial Dragon Heart pounded furiously.
Wait. Something’s wrong—
“Cough!”
A metallic liquid surged up my throat. Unable to endure the pressure, I opened my mouth and a fountain of blood sprayed out.
-My partner!
Nyx’s voice reached me as if through thick fog.
Mana overload. And qi deviation. The mana and internal energy residing within my body had lost all control and begun to rampage.
The target of Deus Ex Machina far exceeds the user’s available mana.
Manifestation of Hyperion has failed.
An intense feeling of loss and pain washed over me. The mana that had always filled the Primordial Dragon Heart to the brim had plummeted near empty. The massive amount consumed during the skill’s activation had caused me to lose control. The freed mana rampaged through my body, and my internal energy, following the same wave, escaped my dantian and tore through every meridian.
I sat down in lotus position. I cut off every external sense. Focusing solely on my internal state, I forced the rampaging mana and internal energy back to their proper places.
How much time had passed?
-My partner! Collapsing like this would be most troublesome!
-If you were to disappear from this world, what would this one do alone…?
Nyx’s voice came faintly. Once I had seized every last strand of the wild mana and internal energy, the external senses I had deliberately shut off began to return one by one.
“I’m fine.”
-My partner, you have regained your senses!
“Thanks to you, Goddess.”
When I slowly opened my eyes, Nyx was there—circling around me in her spirit form. Her eyes were red and swollen; the desperate moment from earlier must have flashed through her mind.
-Never attempt something so dangerous again!
Nyx’s stern voice reverberated through my eardrums. Even coming from that tiny body, it was more cute than intimidating, but…
“Sorry. I’ll be careful.”
I apologized immediately. What I had done was indeed reckless, and I had caused Nyx needless worry.
-Still, I do not understand what just happened. Explain at once.
“The skill succeeded.”
-If nothing else, you certainly succeeded in spewing a fountain of blood.
“……”
Having just done exactly that, I had no comeback. After a brief pause, I continued.
“Three elements are required to activate the skill. Mana, the quality of the metal, and a concrete image of the target.”
The metal’s quality and the ‘experience’ of recalling the target had been satisfied.
“What was lacking was mana.”
From the moment the Tower began eroding the world, the Old Gods could exert their full prime power. The force that formed a constellation—in other words, the existential power created by worship—was now being supplied by this dimension’s energy.
Hyperion was an S-rank constellation. Trying to manifest an S-rank being with my mana was bound to cause problems.
-You have learned a truly valuable lesson.
Nyx crossed her arms and shook her head, clearly displeased. It really had been dangerous. Normally only mana overload would have occurred, but the True Yeouiju’s ability had acted as poison instead.
“Don’t scold me so harshly. I know I was wrong.”
There were two reasons I had chosen Hyperion as the target. First, to determine the limits of Deus Ex Machina. According to the skill description, the more specific my experience, the closer the manifested target’s abilities would be to the original.
Second, because Hyperion remained vividly burned into my memory. Think about it. In the end I had used his vast divine power, but he was still the bastard who had driven a spear—no, a nail—straight into my chest.
“All right. Let’s manifest something more reasonable this time.”
While the Primordial Dragon Heart replenished my mana, I wiped away the bloodstains. The shock from the failed skill had been severe; even the training hall’s barrier had been useless. By the time I finished cleaning the blood, most of my depleted mana had recovered.
-You intend to try again?
“I won’t push it this time.”
-Very well. I shall pretend to believe you.
Nyx let out a deep, resigned sigh. I had no hobby of coughing up blood either, thank you.
I carefully grasped the jar containing the indestructible metal.
Deus Ex Machina
The entity I would manifest this time was…
Shaaaa!
The moment I recalled the being from my memory, the indestructible metal began to writhe.
-My partner, this form—?!
A startled voice echoed in my ear.
* * *
Skin white as jade. Hair flowing all the way to her waist. And crimson eyes.
The silver metal had transformed into a beautiful woman captivating enough to seize everyone’s gaze at once.
-Did you truly manifest this one?
Deus Ex Machina has manifested the Goddess of Night.
Manifestation Rate — 100%
“Correct.”
I swallowed a chuckle. The constellation I understood most deeply. Ironically, that being had been right beside me all along.
A metal doll identical in appearance to Nyx. The only difference was that her hair was silver.
-Yet something feels strange.
“Why? It can’t be that you dislike looking at something that resembles you, Goddess.”
-If you were going to manifest this one, would it not have been better to create her in perfect condition?
“My heart would have burst.”
The goddess who was night itself. When Nyx possessed her original power, even Zeus, king of the gods, had to yield to her. A conceptual deity standing above the god-king. Even after searching through every other mythology, there were almost no constellations that could rival Nyx.
-This one spoke carelessly. Forgive me.
“Heh, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t have done it.”
What Deus Ex Machina manifested was only what I had ‘experienced.’ Even when recalling the constellation Nyx, what I had seen was not her in her prime, but the figure who had lost all her power after falling into the Old Gods’ trap. That was why the manifestation rate had reached exactly 100%.
I let out a light sigh.
“Still, it’s no small feat.”
-What do you mean?
“It took half my mana just to manifest you, Goddess.”
My mana reserves were off the charts. Even Ark, who received the bonus from his Archlich Lord title, had a magic stat far below mine. Only Diamond—no, Master-rank magic players would possess mana reserves comparable to my own. If manifesting a weakened version of the goddess had consumed fully half of that vast reserve…
“Manifesting a proper constellation would require an absurd amount of mana.”
It was a mana shortage I hadn’t felt since devouring the dragon soldier essence back in the tutorial. Encountering it again in such an unexpected way felt strangely fresh.
『Creator, how long do you intend to stare at this one?』
A clear, ringing voice. No way.
“You called me?”
『Indeed. The one who shaped this one lacks consideration.』
She used the exact same speech pattern as Nyx. No—the ‘Nyx’ created by Deus Ex Machina had answered. I had thought only her appearance was identical, but even her personality was the same.
-Hmph. So this is how I appear in your eyes.
“…What exactly do you mean by that?”
-It is nothing.
She really knew how to leave someone feeling uneasy.
“Goddess, want to fight her?”
『Oh? A chance to face this one’s original. How intriguing.』
Nyx frowned at the manifested being’s words and materialized in her true form. I had only thrown the suggestion out there, yet she accepted immediately?
“Fake one, do not regret this.”
『One cannot bring shame before the Creator.』
As if by some signal, both goddesses unfolded their Polar Night at the same time. Nyx’s origin—the darkness of night itself. The Polar Night created by Deus Ex Machina carried a distinct silver hue. Its nature was identical to the original, yet it seemed unable to escape the fundamental concept of a ‘mechanical device.’
“Not bad. To imitate this one’s power so closely.”
『It simply means the Creator understands the original that well.』
The battle continued for several minutes. Surprisingly, the manifested Nyx held her ground against the real one without yielding even an inch.
All mana assigned to Deus Ex Machina has been consumed.
『What a pity. The time permitted to this one has run out.』
Splash—
The silver Nyx’s form collapsed and flowed back into the jar. Checking its durability, I saw more than half had been shaved away.
“What did you think after fighting her?”
“Hmph. Most unpleasant. A being that dares imitate this one.”
Nyx snorted. If our positions were reversed and I had faced such an opponent, I would have felt the same.
Still.
“I gained something useful.”
After testing with Nyx as the target, I had confirmed that as long as my ‘memory’ and ‘experience’ were solid, I could manifest even a constellation at 100%.
Deus Ex Machina.
The activation conditions and mana consumption were enormous, but I had obtained a hidden trump card capable of overturning any desperate situation. A true reversal move had been added to my arsenal.