Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Doodle
=================
< Chapter 196: Dragon Spirit’s Cursed Blade, Hrunting (1) >
The God of Causality was among the oldest deities even within the Pantheon of the Gods.
It was a being of a higher divine rank.
That such an entity personally managed the system was undeniably a tremendous blessing.
“I’m so glad I came here for fun! Ahahaha!”
The God of Gluttony was, at times, a headache even for the Outer Gods.
When else would one get to witness something like this?
At the same time, a certain conviction arose.
Though the reasons were unclear, the God of Causality seemed to cherish that human immensely.
The treatment given to this particular chosen one was clearly different from others that had appeared before.
Therefore,
‘It will taste better, right? Slurp!’
Nothing was as delightful as enjoying play and a meal at the same time.
At this moment, the God of Gluttony’s avatar made a firm decision.
If today’s main course was the Guardian, then the dessert would undoubtedly be the human!
Drip… drip… drip…
“I want to eat. Eat right now.”
Slurp, munch, munch!
Drool flowed down from the God of Gluttony’s mouth, trailing along its face before dripping to the ground.
The god licked its forehead with a crimson tongue and grinned.
Even the thought of it was thrilling.
[The Administrator expresses displeasure.]
[Current Stage: Stage 6]
Shrrrk!
Far more chains than before sprang out and tightly coiled around the God of Gluttony.
Now it was like a cocoon wrapped in chains, leaving even fewer gaps than before.
“This makes it so hard to run around!”
[The Administrator burns with resolve to pulverize you right here without letting you move at all.]
“Oh! I get it! This is a new game, right? Just playing tag would be boring, so you added new rules?”
[The Administrator frowns deeply.]
“Hahaha! If that’s the case, why didn’t you say so earlier? My bad, I’m too dumb to understand. Alright, I’ll join in and make this even more fun!”
Huuuuup!
The God of Gluttony opened its mouth wide and inhaled deeply.
A violent wind surged, sucking all the air within the forest into the god’s belly.
Kukukukuku!
[The Administrator widens its eyes in shock at this new catastrophe!]
The earth’s surface was overturned.
Trees were uprooted and shattered, rocks floated and disintegrated into dust.
Grind!
Each time something was sucked into the god’s stomach, its belly swelled grotesquely.
[The Administrator desperately attempts to reinforce the bindings.]
The chains stretched taut, straining to hold on.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
But the chains snapped in rapid succession.
Then,
Boom!
The God of Gluttony’s body expanded explosively.
Guuoooooooh-!
Aside from its face, the creature retained a vaguely human form, but as it rapidly grew to over a hundred meters in size, its shape could no longer be called intact.
A grotesque mass of flesh, with hundreds—no, thousands—of human faces grotesquely plastered across its surface.
[Administrator ■ encroachment of Ashin's world ■ alarming ■■■■. ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■.]
[SYSTEM ERROR]
Fragments of broken chains were absorbed into Ashin’s body, and the system messages quickly collapsed, leaving nothing but a flood of static.
"Damn it!"
Lodbrok, who had been barely holding her ground against the violent winds using magic, wore a desperate expression.
Thanks to the God of Causality, they had managed to catch their breath momentarily, but she hadn’t anticipated that the creature would awaken.
Did she have to risk it and manifest her real body?
Up until now, she had insisted on using her sword, wary of the Outer God’s "weaknesses."
But at this point, there was no way such weaknesses would be exposed. It might be time to take a dangerous gamble.
‘If I get devoured by that thing here, my real body in the material world will fall into the hands of the Outer God. If that’s the case, targeting the Sealed God instead might be the better option…!’
It was already a monumental task to deal with the Nameless Sovereign, as a guardian of the world. Adding Ashin into the mix was simply unthinkable.
Thus, Lodbrok resolved to once again rely on her barely healed heart.
If this was the price to pay, she believed she could at least imprison Ashin within the Dragon Spirit’s Cursed Blade.
‘But what about the pact…?’
The issue lay with Theo.
She had told him to hurry, yet he was still dragging his feet.
Had he not yet found a way out of the quest? Just as she turned to check on him—
『Lody. Hold that thing off for just a moment.』
Theo's telepathic message made Lodbrok's eyes widen.
What was he planning?
She was about to retort, telling him that useless tricks wouldn’t work on the creature, but she clamped her lips shut instead.
BOOOOOM!
The sky above the rapidly collapsing forest.
A sun was forming.
Dragon Pearl Sun.
It was an ancient secret art of the former head of the family, one that was now Theo’s.
But that wasn’t all.
Crackle!
Right beside it, a "moon" was emerging as well.
****************************
‘First, the Dragon Pearl Sun.’
Theo drew upon all his magical power, embedding the sun into the heavens.
As the Thunder Sphere began spinning faster, the condensed magic unleashed scorching thunderbolts of heat.
‘Next… the moon.’
Theo extended his left hand in the opposite direction.
A technique demonstrated once by Ode had left a deep impression on Theo's mind.
<Black Ice Crescent Moon>
A black orb formed, releasing an intense chill.
As it spun, shards of ice scattered in all directions.
However, Theo's magic power was not infused into it.
At the moment, he was already expending an enormous amount of magic to maintain the formation of the sun.
The moon was entirely fueled by Nessie's magic.
『Chosen One, thank, you.』
Nessie, knowing that her life was nearing its end, hoped that it would be used to defeat Ashin.
『Though, I regret, that I could not, serve you properly, it is fortunate, that I could, help you, in this way. I am, glad, to see you, at the end, and to know, that my master, has a successor.』
With those words, Nessie quietly closed her eyes.
And in the moment she exhaled her final breath—
Shh-shhhh!
Nessie's body crumbled into fragments and was absorbed into the moon.
Even in death, she sought to bring it to completion.
---
[The Guardian (Nessie) has recognized you as her new master.]
[You have partially succeeded in the quest. You have gained partial authority over this region. The unstable magic has been stabilized.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[The quest has not yet been fully completed. Please continue its execution.]
---
Theo opened his status window.
[Observing ‘Theo Ragnar’.]
+
Theo Ragnar (16 years old/Male)
- Titles: Flash Tiger, Greatest Prodigy in a Millennium, Flash Demon, Night Demon Star
- Talents: Ragnar, Player, Observation, Inventory, Shop Access, Companion of the Guardian Dragon, Purge Cleansing Technique, Shadow Wyvern, Heir of Kriemhild, Dragonborn, [Unavailable for Viewing].
- Status: On the verge of awakening a new skill. Channeling extreme focus driven by rage. Risk of entering an abnormal state; exercise caution.
- Level: 62
- Stats (▼):
Strength: 131
Agility: 111
Stamina: 105
Magic: 243
Intelligence: 114
Luck: 50
Additional Stat Points: 75
- Skills (▲):
[Unavailable for Viewing]
+
Through numerous battles, Theo had accumulated an impressive 15 levels.
However, he had deliberately saved all additional stat points instead of allocating them, as he had already grown sufficiently strong and wanted to use them at a critical moment.
And now—
Theo decided that this was the moment.
[Special Ability ‘Vitality Amplification’ is activated, drastically increasing stamina vitality.]
Rrrumble...
Theo's body, which had been strained by simultaneously controlling the sun and the moon, gradually stabilized.
---
[Vitality Amplification]
- Type: Special Ability
- Effect: Rapidly restores depleted stamina. When concentration is maintained for over 10 minutes, stamina temporarily surges explosively.
---
The regenerative effect of the ability endowed Theo's body with immense healing, allowing his shattered frame to regain strength. With his renewed physical stability, his focus sharpened even further.
And then—
[Investing 50 additional stat points into Luck.]
[Luck: 50 → 100]
Theo's Luck stat, which had rapidly grown jointly with his rising renown, now crossed into triple digits.
[The Luck coefficient has surpassed 100.]
[A hidden function has been unlocked, granting a protective charm to repel misfortune from all future actions.]
---
[Misfortune Repulsion]
- Type: Special Ability
- Effect: Repels misfortune. Every action executed is imbued with blessings that dispel malevolent forces.
---
[All stats have surpassed 100.]
[Your body undergoes a transformative change. Mental resilience has greatly strengthened.]
[Misfortune Repulsion now enhances magic with the attributes of Evil-Breaking (破邪) and Exorcism (驅魔).]
[You gain exceptional immunity to curses and madness.]
Evil-Breaking and Exorcism.
For a moment, Theo wondered if these enhancements were the true weapons meant for an awakened Chosen One to confront the Outer Gods and their agents.
<Nirvana>
Focusing deeply, Theo brought both the sun and the moon under complete control.
He could feel the sun emanating intense heat and the moon radiating piercing cold, both responding perfectly to his will.
*********************************
“Ashin!!”
Returning to his main body, Theo expressed gratitude to Lodbrok, who had been keeping Ashin at bay, and then called out to the towering creature.
Ashin had now grown hundreds of meters tall, breaching the stratosphere.
Roll-roll-
Ashin's grotesque eyes rolled simultaneously to fixate on Theo.
“You said you wanted to play, didn't you?”
The monstrous eyes widened hideously, their glimmer grotesque and revolting.
“Then let's play ball! Eat this!!”
Theo extended both arms forward, merging them into one.
The sun and the moon converged at the center, colliding into a single mass—
“Take- this-!!”
Mad with thoughts of "play" and "prey," Ashin hurled its massive body forward, maw agape, and swallowed the entirety of the orb whole.
Gulp!
“Delicious-!!”
Boom!
Crack-crash!
Rumble, roar, rumble-roar!
The Dragon Pearl Sun and Black Ice Crescent Moon.
The two were fundamentally incompatible energies, destined never to mix.
Naturally, the ensuing explosion not only shattered Ashin's head entirely but also tore his stomach and abdomen into shreds.
Fragments of his flesh flew in all directions, while bodily fluids and blood poured down like a torrential rain.
A tremendous shockwave of scorching heat swept through the area, obliterating what little remained of the forest.
It was truly a catastrophic display of explosive power.
[The collapsed system is partially restored.]
[The Administrator gapes in astonishment at the broken world.]
[The Administrator drools as they gaze in awe at the fireworks.]
[Droplets of saliva drip to the ground.]