Chapter 56
Crackle.
The first thing he heard was the sound of firewood tickling his ears. And the rustling sound of turning pages.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the reddish ceiling illuminated by candlelight and the stove, and beside him, a girl turning the pages of a book.
Black hair and gray eyes.
It was Emily.
She was so focused on reading that she didn't seem to notice Callius had awakened.
What book could she be so focused on?
'Northern Swordsmanship Textbook?'
It wasn't a book a twelve-year-old child should be so engrossed in.
But seeing her so focused, he didn't feel like disturbing her, so Callius quietly began to observe his own body.
He circulated his divine power from his fingertips to his toes.
'All the wounds have healed.'
The wounds inflicted by the Orc Warlord had already healed.
As expected, the power of holy water was remarkable.
Despite being wounds that should have had him hovering between life and death, they healed perfectly.
There might be some scars left, but he survived without major issues, so what did it matter?
Just in case, he examined himself more carefully and found his body condition to be excellent.
Better than before.
【Callius von Zervan】
【Occupation】 – Pilgrim
【Divine Power】 – 3rd Class
【Holy Power】 – 6251/6251
【Talent】 – [Bard's Blessing - Supreme(最上)]
【Characteristics】 - [Grace] [Noble's Duty] [Count's Prodigal] [Death Time Yesterday's Wrong(死時昨非)] [Order's Prodigal Son] [Glutton] [Three-Colored Eyes]
[Stats]
Strength – 81 (30)
Agility – 55 (30)
Technique – 16
Health – 50 (30)
Faith – 73
There were increases in several stats.
Strength, which was 76, had risen to 81, and Technique, which was 13, was now 16.
Health, which was 47, had become 50.
He wasn't sure why they had increased.
It was probably because he had pushed his body to its limits while crossing the line between life and death.
As he observed more deeply, Callius could feel an amazing change.
'When did the Ten Thousand Flower Peak Flesh change?'
Besides the two peaks settled in his dantian, there was one more.
The third peak of the Ten Thousand Flower Peak Flesh was beginning to form.
'Is it the influence of Death Time Yesterday's Wrong?'
Did the enlightenment he gained at that time affect the Ten Thousand Flower Peak Flesh?
He thought about it for a moment but couldn't figure it out.
However, this was quite a pleasant thing.
Though not yet complete, condensed holy power was gathering and coiling.
The third peak settled in the dantian was still in an incomplete state.
It would be appropriate to say it was just one step away from completion.
'Progress from the last battle, the holy water, and the enlightenment of Death Time Yesterday's Wrong.'
But Callius's expression soon calmed down.
The Ten Thousand Flower Peak Flesh originally has Three Peaks(三峯).
The difficulty increases drastically starting from making three peaks.
Up to Two Peaks, it's manageable to create, but from Three Peaks onward, it's like reaching for the stars in the sky, making it difficult to condense the peaks.
'Even with several holy stones from quest rewards, it would be difficult.'
He believed it would be hard with holy stones alone, and would require eating a dragon's heart or blood, or encountering a divine relic or holy bone-level opportunity.
The reason was that from Three Peaks onward, it wasn't just about creating peaks, but also about forming holy vessels that connect the three peaks.
He had to create a flow of divine power that circulated the three peaks.
Only then could he say he had achieved true Three Peaks.
Creating something that doesn't exist in the dantian meant the difficulty was worlds apart from what it had been until now.
'I'll have to take it step by step. Maybe something like that will come from this reward.'
Now that he thought about it, should he receive the reward?
『Wheel of Fatalité - Complete』
-Number of Orcs slain: 2782
-Number of Magical Beasts slain: 786
-Number of People saved: 453
-Number of Grand Warriors slain: 1
-Number of Orc Warlords slain: 1
[You have completed the Main Quest.]
[A special reward is given.]
The message window he saw before losing consciousness ended here.
He was unbearably curious about what came after.
[S+ Reward Box has been given.]
[Opening the S+ Reward Box.]
With the sound of small firecrackers going off, multiple messages burst forth.
[Broken Sword of a Forgotten God]
[Subspace]
[Seed of a Defeated God]
[Holy Grail of a Defeated God]
[Unique Talent Cartridge]
[Rare Characteristic Draw]
[Holy Stone x3]
[Saddle of Humasis]
'As expected of an S+ reward, there are quite a lot.'
[Broken Sword of a Forgotten God]
Grade - Relic
-It is the broken sword of a forgotten god.
Even though broken, the sword containing divine power transforms its appearance to match the connection with whoever touches it.
'I didn't expect this to come out...'
The corners of Callius's mouth curved upward. The Broken Sword of a Forgotten God.
Main quest rewards were always random, so even with an S+ grade reward, he hadn't expected much.
But a relic came out.
'Of course, it's not very useful right now.'
It was an item that would come in handy someday if he just kept it.
Because it was a relic that could summon any sword he had ever touched.
No matter who owned the sword, once the relic's owner touched it and formed a connection, they could summon that sword at any time.
The Zervan family heirloom.
Storm Sword - Callis could also be summoned at any time using this relic.
It was unfortunate that there was only one chance, but being able to make any grade of sword his own was definitely an attractive feature.
'It doesn't even have to be a sword...'
It could work.
For example, the Explosive Spear.
If he wanted, it would transform into a sword and come into Callius's hands.
'Or there might be quests that send me to the past or future later.'
Swords obtained there couldn't be brought to reality, but swords with immense power existed.
Since they were swords that could only be used during quests, and couldn't be possessed outside of that time, with this relic, he would have them in his hands for life.
'Let me check first. But as expected...'
Storm Sword - Callis wasn't there.
Gluttony Sword - Roas and Spirit-Summoning Sword - Gwid.
And Jornik was beside the bed, but Storm Sword - Callis was absent.
Probably Elberton had taken it.
'That's a shame.'
It would be a lie to say he didn't feel a little greedy, but it couldn't be helped.
Storm Sword - Callis was a Phantom Sword.
Moreover, it was the Zervan family heirloom.
A sword for the lord.
To possess Callis, he would have to become the master of Zervan, so it was still premature.
'It's also a sword that's still too much for me to wield. Can't be helped.'
With his low amount and purity of holy power, he was still insufficient to use a Phantom Sword.
He was already lacking the capacity to use the Spirit-Summoning Sword - Gwid, so how could he use a Phantom Sword?
It was only thanks to Fatalité's holy stone that he could barely manage.
His holy power grade needed to be at least 2nd class for the burden to lessen somewhat.
'I can just consider it entrusted to him until then.'
It's not like it would run away.
Having finished the war in the north this time, the Zervan family wouldn't experience any major incidents for a while.
There was no worry about it being taken by someone.
And Elberton wasn't the type of person to do that.
'Next is the subspace.'
[Subspace(亞空間)]
Grade - Epic
-Summons a space where items can be stored and retrieved anytime, anywhere.
A common type of spatial item in games.
It was a concept connected to consciousness, so as long as he visualized it in his mind, he could summon the weapons stored inside.
In this world, items with spatial concepts were rare, and it was safe to say there were almost no storage items with spatial abilities usable in combat.
Therefore, the subspace was one of the indispensable items for Callius.
He would be fighting while switching between various swords and weapons depending on the situation, and the presence or absence of a subspace would make combat much more efficient.
Upon visualizing it, the subspace naturally became bound to Callius, and the rewards obtained this time were inside the subspace.
Callius visualized the Broken Sword of a Forgotten God from the subspace settled in his consciousness.
Then, the sword's handle appeared near his hand.
Though it was a broken sword, the energy inherent within was profoundly mysterious.
With a satisfied face, he put it away and looked at the other items.
'But what is this?'
[Seed of a Defeated God]
Grade - ???
-A seed left by a defeated god.
No one can know what will sprout from it.
[Holy Grail of a Defeated God]
Grade - ???
-A holy grail left by a defeated god.
'I don't recall leaving such a setting behind. Did the development team put this in?'
A seed and holy grail of a defeated god.
If it's a god, then it's a god, but what's a defeated god?
Out of curiosity, he casually took out the seed and holy grail, but there wasn't anything particularly special about them.
The seed was just an ordinary black seed.
The holy grail was a silver cup whose color had faded.
Since it was called a holy grail, he thought it might have some special ability.
'This type usually has abilities like purifying something or similar.'
As he touched the holy grail and then touched the bean-sized seed again.
"Ah."
At that moment, the seed seeped into his palm.
The seed that had seeped in flowed along his holy blood and instantly circulated throughout his entire body.
"What?!"
Startled, Callius desperately tightened all his holy blood to block its rampage, but it was not enough.
'It went into the dantian.'
A hot sensation spread throughout his body.
And he began to feel pain as if his dantian was being torn apart.
In an instant, cold sweat formed, and a chill rushed in, making his teeth chatter.
'No...!'
The Seed of a Defeated God.
He didn't know what it was, but there was almost no possibility it had a connection with Valtherus.
If two divine powers settled in the dantian like this, in the worst case, the dantian might shatter.
"Wh-what! Callius! When did you wake up! No, more importantly, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?!"
Startled, Emily asked this and that, then ran off saying she would bring a doctor.
Thud.
[A Defeated God. A god who lost their name has lodged in the dantian.]
'What?'
Immediately, he felt an immense amount of divine power swell in his dantian.
The pure divine power was something he had never felt before.
Callius felt both bewilderment and pain simultaneously, but marveled at the purity of the divine power emanating from the seed.
And the divine power of the seed.
"Grrrrraaaagh!!"
In an instant, it formed holy vessels in the dantian.
Without understanding what was happening, Callius endured the pain, grabbed his lower abdomen, and fell face-down on the bed.
But soon, he forced his back straight and sat in a lotus position.
'One more is being formed.'
One holy vessel had already been formed, and one more. At the same time, four more were trying to form.
Like a plant taking root in the dantian.
Callius's Ten Thousand Flower Peak Flesh achieved Three Peaks and took root in his dantian.
"Kuwaaaaaaaah!!"
Kwaaaaang!
The pure divine power that couldn't be fully absorbed exploded.
As waste products erupted from his skin as sweat, silver light shone brilliantly.
Jaevarsh Castle.
The brilliant light of divine power from his room illuminated the dawn.
When soldiers and knights in the castle came running and threw open the door.
"Lord Callius!!"
"Are you alright!"
There, sitting was Callius, his entire body glowing radiantly.
[You have achieved Three Peaks of the Ten Thousand Flower Peak Flesh.]
"What in the world......"
Not understanding what was happening was the same for Callius.