The Only Solution is Realm Ascension

"Fuck off!"

Lee Se-rin’s eyes widened as she stared at Yoo Ji-tae. She wasn’t trying to act cute. She definitely wasn’t pretending to be weak.

So this is her giving it her absolute best, huh.

The heat that had been rising in his chest gradually cooled, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"A little better, at least."

Lee Se-rin began preparing her final dish.

EP 3 The Only Solution is Realm Ascension

Hephaestus. One of the twelve Olympian gods, the goddess of blacksmiths. As Zeus’s eldest daughter, she was a chief deity whom even other gods dared not look upon directly, yet her upbringing had been anything but fortunate.

Abandoned by her mother Hera the moment she was born, she fell to the earth and suffered a permanent leg injury. Raised among strangers, she honed her skills as a blacksmith. During that time, Hephaestus learned how to handle fire and hammer iron. That very skill would one day lead to the feat of sealing her mother goddess, Hera.

The blacksmiths who had cared for her must have been like family. One day, she thought: she would give them a gift filled with gratitude for looking after her. Using wheat grown nearby, she flattened dough into noodles, stir-fried local olives with various sauces and meat, and served it to them.

That was the origin of pasta.

This legend revealed the status the hearth once held in ancient times. The ancient hearth served multiple purposes: cooking, weapon forging, and providing warmth. It shaped iron, flavored ingredients, and gave heat to people. The hearth was no mere tool. It was an all-purpose device that realized every miracle.

Hephaestus’s ability to create anything clearly stemmed from that ancient perception of fire. Moreover, the fire used by gods was fundamentally different from human fire since ancient times. Therefore, [Hephaestus’s Pasta (S)] could not be cooked with ordinary stoves. Furthermore, anything made by human hands rather than a god’s would have its mystery degraded, making the cooking process impossible to establish. Thus, cooking divine food required flames imbued with divinity and an object to substitute for a god’s will as prerequisites.

"Hoo..."

The preliminary preparations were complete. On three bowls sat the pasta noodles, water, and sauce he had poured his all into making.

"What’s left is..."

It said the divine blood requirement was already fulfilled. He didn’t really understand, but it would work out somehow. Next was the divine flame. He checked through Hephaestus.

"...I don’t know what that is, but."

[18 : 03]

Now less than twenty minutes remain.

Tap. He pressed the window. At the same time, he spoke to the flickering flame on the stove. A sensation like running some kind of program through his brain cells. That strange feeling of omnipotence and exhaustion he had felt earlier took hold of his body.

"Awaken."

KWAAAAANG!!!!

A crimson pillar of fire erupted from the stove. He thought it was a nuclear bomb. The light was so intense that the screen of the high-end camera filming the exam site temporarily turned black. It was a brilliance that would have blinded any ordinary person. Light, followed by shock and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠vibration. A six-meter-wide pillar of fire shot upward, destroying the ceiling. The exam hall shook as if an earthquake had struck.

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

"Wh-what is that?!"

"This crazy bitch, she finally did it!!!"

"Stop!!! Please stop!!!"

Screams echoed from all directions. It was utter chaos. Debris from the collapsed ceiling rained down into the exam hall. But the pillar of fire paid no heed, continuing to stretch toward the sky. It was closer to a river of fire than mere flames. Every examinee’s gaze turned toward him.

"What are you doing! What the hell are you trying to do!!"

He didn’t know. Honestly, he couldn’t handle this. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but maybe he should try to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stop it. Wasn’t it called divine language or something?

"Hey. Stop for a second."

He said that to the pillar of fire soaring toward the heavens.

*****

What am I? I know nothing except that I was just born. I looked around. There were the insect-like humans and the food they had made. There was also food in the air, but that one looked tastier. Before me stood Father. A great being whose very existence was on a different level. My master who gave birth to me. As a daughter, I wanted to live up to Father’s expectations. But I had not been granted any function other than burning. Just as I was feeling a little sad, Father stroked my body. Father even loved someone like me...! Then I had no choice but to do my best. It seemed he had prepared a lot of food as well.

*****

KWAAAAANG!!!!

The flames grew even fiercer. Several examinees barely managed to stay on the ground against the firestorm. In the midst of it, something strange caught his eye.

"Huh?"

Ability users could see mana. Mana, visible in the form of ripples, was the source of abilities and the fuel of mystery. All of it was being sucked into the fire. From the food and from the examinees.

"No!!! My food!! Please stop!!"

"Stop!!! Do you want to win that badly?!"

"Were you planning this from the start?! As expected, she’s not someone to be underestimated...!"

"Stop...! Please stop!! Unnie!!! I was wrong!!!"

All the examinees were either prostrating themselves before him or gazing in awe. But even the mana of the weeping women was absorbed into the flames.

"......"

He looked at the window before his eyes.

At this point, there was no choice.

"...Might as well make it first."

Click. When he pressed the window, his body began to move on its own.

*****

The pillar of fire that had destroyed the exam hall ceiling and stretched toward the sky showed no sign of stopping its growth. Complete loss of mana devices in nearby commercial buildings. Temporary decline in ability users’ realms. 50% decrease in ambient mana. Temporary downgrade of nearby mana materials. Nearby residents complaining of dizziness and nausea. The pillar of fire, which had grown by sucking fuel from everything, ceased growing at 12,000 meters above ground. Afterward, it sent all the absorbed mana back to the stove in the exam hall.

The news channels of the three major broadcasters organized emergency broadcasts and began live coverage within three minutes of the pillar’s appearance. Subsequently, the unidentified pillar of fire became a hot topic in news sections across the nation.

Eventually, Korea’s time billionaires succeeded in speculating the cause of the pillar of fire even before the government investigation concluded.

All communities in Korea experienced their first explosion.

And that explosion reached its second explosion through someone’s post.

*****

"Hmm."

Knock knock. A knocking sound echoed.

"Young lady, I’m coming in."

When Han Do-yeon opened the door and entered, Lee Ah-rang was in the middle of watching TV. On the screen, a live broadcast from the exam hall was playing. Two experts were discussing the pillar of fire.

["The greatest effect of this pillar is that it grows by absorbing all mana from its surroundings. Approaching it carelessly risks having all your mana drained and being killed."]

["But hasn’t it currently stopped growing and absorbing mana at the 12,000-meter mark? Shouldn’t we launch a preemptive strike to subdue it first?"]

["You’re really talking nonsense. What if that ends up killing all the citizens instead?! Right now, we’re essentially being held hostage with about 1.5 million citizens!"]

"Umm, young lady. It’s dangerous, so you should hide underground for now."

After watching the TV for a long while, Lee Ah-rang raised a finger.

"The wrinkles on that tracksuit, and the body proportions—don’t they look similar to what our Ji-tae wears?"

"Pardon? Umm? The color is the same, at least. But that person is a woman, isn’t she? Besides, anyone could have the same clothes."

"No. Those specific wrinkles and the style of the frayed cuffs—there’s only one like that in the world."

Lee Ah-rang’s gaze fixed on the woman on screen. Short hair reaching her shoulders, a cute appearance. A height that was quite tall for a woman. Clear, dazed eyes.

"The appearance is different, but the atmosphere is similar. Maybe that hat is an item hiding her identity? Ji-tae is the world’s greatest alchemist who can make Alkahest, after all."

"...Umm."

A smile spread across Lee Ah-rang’s lips. S-rank hunters were on standby at the scene. Citizens were evacuating. The nation was watching as a high-alert situation.

"Hehe.... As expected, Yoo Ji-tae is the best."

"...Huh. Are you okay?"

Lee Ah-rang grinned foolishly.

"What? Even Liu Bang of the Chu-Han Contention was said to have disregarded the law in his youth, lived dissolutely, and sometimes released prisoners. That’s the kind of spirit a man needs, after all."

"Good heavens. Who on earth taught the young lady such strange things?"

*****

A fast-food branch in the city. The female manager closed the store and gathered the apron-wearing part-timers.

"You saw the news, right? They say it’s an S-rank gate or higher, so everyone go home for now. I’ll contact you separately once it’s safe."

"What about our pay, then?"

"What are you talking about pay in this situation? Do you not understand what kind of crisis this is?! How can you be so selfish during a national emergency?!"

At the manager’s scolding, the part-timers lowered their heads. Only Han Ye-jin tilted her head curiously and looked away.

Is there a connection between a gate opening and pay?

Meanwhile, the live broadcast on TV came into view. It showed a cute short-haired girl wearing a hat shooting a pillar of light into the sky and cooking boldly in front of it. The wind pressure that blew away everything around her didn’t seem to affect her at all—her hair didn’t even move, let alone her hat.

Han Ye-jin’s head tilted crookedly as she watched the screen.

Those stains on the tracksuit and slippers, and the socks—they look like Ji-tae oppa’s?

Oppa... what on earth are you doing right now...?

Han Ye-jin’s face turned pale.

You’re going to get sued for damages by all the business owners in Daejeon!

Han Ye-jin made a thoroughly miserable face.

*****

A flight bound for Korea. First-class seat. Llywelyn, who had been whining while drinking wine, opened her eyes.

"...What is that."

She pressed her head against the window and looked toward the source of the mana vibration. A crimson pillar of fire stretching up to a height similar to the flying airplane. No ordinary flame magic could produce that level of power. A miracle from the mythological era that ordinary humans could never reach.

"Hermes...!"

Llywelyn’s eyes filled with blood vessels.

*****

The pillar of fire gradually subsided. In the large frying pan in his hands was the nearly completed Hephaestus’s Pasta (S). The dish would be finished by adding the divine blood on top. However, the next step in the recipe that came to mind was strange.

Since users of SS-rank skills are equivalent to gods, they can substitute as offerings.

In other words, divine blood can be replaced with the blood of an SS-rank skill user.

Slit your own throat with a knife and pour 500ml of blood. That will complete the mystery.

"......It’s telling me to die."

No matter what, he had no intention of dying.

Wouldn’t this much be enough?

I know you’re not supposed to skip steps in the cooking process, but still, blood is a bit much.

"Hmm."

He looked around. There were trembling examinees and wary examinees. Among them, Lee Se-rin’s gaze was particularly unsettling. Alternating between her own dish and his, Lee Se-rin clenched her fists and trembled.

Lee Se-rin’s dish had lost its light. But his pasta emitted a five-colored radiance, a brilliant aurora, with an enormous density of mana soaked into the noodles and sauce. Even to his own eyes, the difference in quality was overwhelming. Lee Se-rin would see it even more clearly.

Plop. Drip. A single tear rolled down Lee Se-rin’s cheek.

It was really pitiful to beat her so thoroughly. But he couldn’t afford to lose. He pressed down on his hat, lowered his head, and averted his gaze.

[00 : 00]

The exam time had ended.

Click. Click. A woman in black silk robes entered through the exam hall door.

"Who is that?"

"She’s not... the supervisor."

"A hunter?"

Even as murmurs spread, the woman didn’t stop, passing by each examinee’s table. Despite wearing fairly high heels, her steps were unhindered. Her skirt had slits on the sides, revealing her thighs completely. Perhaps because her legs were long, her stride was wide, and she quickly reached the first examinee’s table.

The woman who had been walking briskly pointed at each examinee’s cooked dish with her finger as she passed.

"Trash."

"...Huh?"

The woman continued walking.

"Trash, trash, trash, trash, trash, hmm not bad, trash, mediocre, trash, not bad, trash, well done, trash."

After passing by and commenting on each one, the woman finally stopped in front of him.

"It’s you, isn’t it? The child who caused an emergency in this area."

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn’t answer.

"...Kuh, kuhuh, ahahahaha! What a ruthless girl. You caused all this and still have that expression?"

At his silence, the woman burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears came out.

"If it’s for the result, the process doesn’t matter at all, huh. You’re no ordinary person. If you had been born in the old era, you would have performed a great blood sacrifice. You."

The smiling woman continued.

"Well. Overflowing talent always causes incidents. This much, I can clean up. Of course, only if your work is satisfactory."

"My name is Heo Shin-ah. Well, I have no intention of introducing my realm. Let’s see your cooking first."

Heo Shin-ah looked at his pasta. A golden light flowed consistently from the pasta, transforming into five-colored light that spread outward. An aurora still danced like fish above it.

"Beautiful. I’ve never seen magic cooking of this level in my life."

When Heo Shin-ah took out a fork and twirled the noodles, a rich aroma of sauce and the aftertaste of abundant mana flowed in all directions.

"...I’m looking forward to it."

She lifted the pasta twirled on her fork.

"Heavy."

With admiration, Heo Shin-ah put the pasta in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Then she didn’t move.

"......"

As if she had fainted. Eventually, Heo Shin-ah’s body slowly rose into the air. A golden ring appeared above her head, and beams of light rose like wings behind her back.

"She’s ascending to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Deity Realm... just from eating that one thing...? No, then that means she was in the Sacred Lotus Realm!!!"

The examinees belatedly began kneeling and offering greetings.

*****

"Huh?"

Heo Shin-ah was riding in a palanquin through the Seocheon Flower Field. Heo Shin-ah, who had been dazed, pressed her forehead firmly.

"...Ah. Right. I was in the middle of a wedding."

Heo Shin-ah looked ahead. Dozens of young attendants were carrying the palanquin she rode, and along the flower path, many attendants endlessly threw flowers to celebrate her wedding. At the end. The golden palace at the end of this flower path was now the newlywed home where she and her husband would live.

"Hehehe...."

While laughing, Heo Shin-ah tried to sneakily raise her hand to hold her husband’s hand beside her. Her shy and cute hand cut through empty air.

"Hmm?"

Is he being shy....

But embracing even that was a wife’s duty. She sneakily reached out further to grab her husband’s arm. But again, her hand grasped nothing.

"...Haa. You really. What are you...."

When Heo Shin-ah turned her head, she saw herself reflected in her own eyes. Herself with her hair undone, bleeding.

"Uh. Uh."

Eventually, the flowers around her withered, and excruciating pain was carved into her entire body.

"Kuhk. Keck."

Blood gushed from her mouth. Another Heo Shin-ah standing before her opened her mouth.

"Where is your husband?"

*****

Blood flowed from the mouth of Heo Shin-ah floating in the air. The ring above her head also turned black. The light behind her back had already transformed into black crow wings. Heo Shin-ah raised her hand.

Ping!

A black beam shot from her fingertips and pierced the stomach of an examinee in the distance. For a moment, he thought he had seen wrong. The examinee collapsed. The examinee desperately clutched their stomach and screamed.

"Aaaaaah! S-save me! Save me! I-I was wrong! I was wrong!"

When he looked back, the other examinees were running toward the door. Flutter. A large shadow flew over his head. Heo Shin-ah, with her wings spread, overtook the examinees and reached the door first. While the examinees whose escape route was blocked hesitated, Heo Shin-ah raised her long leg upward. And slammed it down to the floor. A black wall that appeared before his eyes soared toward the sky.