Chapter 17. Ring of Yphrasia

‘…Is it over?’

I looked at the Hellhest, scattering like ashes.

Its bare bones looked like an unearthed fossil.

I swallowed a sigh, concealing my trembling hands as much as possible.

‘…I almost died.’

I glanced back.

Rudine was still frozen stiff, her face blank with shock.

The reason was none other than Intimidation.

Essentially, it was a mental attack.

It was a skill that Calamity-ranked Monstrous Beasts and above used passively, and Rudine’s whole body had become stiff from its effects.

No matter how strong Rudine was, this was the reason why defeating a Hellhest was impossible for her at this point.

Of course, I was unaffected since I had no mana.

But what if I hadn't absorbed the Rune of Time?

We would've both died.

It was a situation I could only describe as sheer luck.

When the last activation word succeeded, a sense of relief washed over me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

‘What should I do about this?’

I had no mana.

Because I had relinquished it as the price for absorbing the Rune.

Despite that, I could still use supernatural powers because the abilities absorbed through Runes consumed a special resource called "Mind's Eye," not mana.

The important thing here was that Mind’s Eye was a consumable resource.

Consumed mana would recharge over time, but consumed Mind’s Eye would not.

The linked sequence of Acceleration, Return, Time, and End was one of the miracles that could instantly kill ordinary Monstrous Beasts without fail.

Naturally, the consumption of Mind’s Eye was immense, so I had scraped together every last bit of it.

If I ran out of Mind's Eye, I had no choice but to absorb another Rune.

But that wasn’t easy either.

Runes weren’t common items; they were among the few Precious Artifacts in this other world.

Of course, there was a way.

If I obtained the opportunity from Yggdrasil, I could recharge my Mind’s Eye without absorbing a Rune.

“Rudine.”

I walked towards Rudine, who was standing there with a dazed expression.

It seemed the effects of the Intimidation hadn’t worn off yet.

“Can you move?”

“…Yeah.”

She barely managed to nod.

Her whole body was still trembling, but it seemed like she could move.

“…How did you do that?”

As I was brushing the dirt off my clothes, Rudine suddenly asked me.

Her gaze was inorganic and devoid of emotion as usual, but strangely, her voice was trembling.

‘Is she asking how I moved?’

Or was she asking how I managed to take down that monster in one blow?

Well, she was naturally curious, so I understood.

Moreover, being so powerless must have been a novel experience for her.

She probably had never felt a sense of danger in her life until now.

And look at her curious eyes.

It was natural for her to be curious about me since I had instantly killed a Monstrous Beast she couldn’t even touch with some strange magic.

She must be frustrated that she couldn’t do anything even though she had come along as part of the group.

Honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if she was in shock.

However.

‘How do I explain this?’

Should I tell her that I gave up my mana while absorbing the Rune?

Or that I knew how to use the Rune because I had read the original story?

After a moment of contemplation, I opened my mouth slightly.

“Some Calamity-ranked Monstrous Beasts and above emit Intimidation with their mere presence.”

“…Intimidation?”

“Yeah. It’s similar to Killing Intent, but it induces a more primal fear.”

Rudine blinked blankly.

It wasn’t an incomprehensible reaction.

It was natural for her not to know, since she had never encountered a Calamity-ranked Monstrous Beast before.

“But I don’t have mana.”

“You don’t have mana?”

“Yeah, so it doesn’t work on me.”

“…Liar.”

It couldn’t be helped if she didn't believe me.

There was no more perfect explanation than this.

It was no use for her to keep glancing at me.

We couldn’t delay any longer, and since we had arrived at Westmarch, it was time to search for Yggdrasil.

“Follow me.”

“…Okay.”

****

We walked along the path through the withered trees.

Fortunately, no other Monstrous Beasts appeared after our encounter with the Hellhest.

But something was strange.

The forest was too quiet.

There wasn’t even the sound of insects, and even the wind had stopped.

‘This is truly a ruin.’

The atmosphere was different from the usual Blackmore.

Too silent, perhaps. Only the sound of our footsteps echoed in the air.

The good news was…

‘We arrived safely.’

I slowly looked around.

The trees were all blackened, as if scorched by fire.

Not just the trees. T

he soil, pebbles, bushes… nothing was intact.

This was how the spread of Yggdrasil’s corruption was described in the original story.

I looked around, trying to get my bearings.

As expected of the elves’ homeland, even a mere village was incredibly vast.

‘…Where’s the temple?’

Yggdrasil was located in the center of a certain temple.

But my memory was vague, and most of the process of finding the way was omitted in the original story.

What choice did I have?

I just had to keep searching.

Of course, Rudine had a rather sullen look on her face as she blindly followed me, clueless as to what was going on.

After turning at several bends in the path, Rudine stopped.

Her gaze was fixed on a dead end, where a fine crack, like a scratch on the wall's surface, was visible.

“Rudine.”

“Yeah.”

“Break that down.”

Crash!

As soon as I finished speaking, Rudine's dagger tore through the wall.

Beyond the wall lay ash-gray ruins.

Collapsed pillars were embedded in the ground, and broken statues were scattered everywhere.

Not only was the scale vast, but the architectural style was also typical of the elves.

There was no doubt.

This was definitely…

‘Kazkajit.’

Kazkajit.

The Holy Ground where elves gathered in a forgotten era to worship the World Tree, the source of life.

“…”

A cool breeze brushed against my skin as we entered.

Broken pieces of stone crumbled under my feet with every step.

Honestly, the path was so rough that it was difficult to even walk.

Moreover, the ceiling had collapsed, black weeds grew in every corner, and withered vines were wrapped around the pillars.

‘The atmosphere is crazy.’

Gulp.

I swallowed hard at the eerie atmosphere.

‘It should be around here.’

I slowly moved forward, avoiding the debris.

Since the original story didn’t omit information after finding the temple, I didn’t have to wander aimlessly.

I turned at several bends in the path.

As I turned at the last bend and headed straight towards the shining area beyond…

“Ah.”

Found it. I looked up and saw a gigantic silhouette.

Swooooosh—

Withered branches creaked every time the wind blew.

The blackened trunk reached the sky, and the roots spread in all directions as if splitting the earth.

“Yggdrasil…”

I finally found it.

The tree of death, nurtured by the blood of elves, was right in front of me.

“…Murals?”

Rudine muttered, looking at the murals carved on the wall. T

hey depicted two trees intertwined.

One was the tree of life, stretching upwards.

The other was the tree of death, growing downwards.

The image of life and death intersecting.

The flow of light and darkness between the two trees.

And the ancient characters written in the center.

Sephirot and Qliphoth.

They were symbols of the sacred ritual the elves revered.

“Luke.”

Rudine's voice echoed calmly.

I looked back and saw her eyes turning red.

It meant that the Heavenly Star of Slaughter was reacting to this place.

And.

[O pilgrim, bearer of great Karma, state your purpose for visiting this Holy Ground.]

Just as when I absorbed the Rune, a bizarre, indescribable voice pierced my eardrums and resonated in my brain.

This was exactly as I remembered. I slowly opened my mouth, recalling the protagonist's lines from the original story.

“I offer a sacrifice.”

Woooong—

I barely managed to steady my swaying body.

My hair fluttered wildly in the surging mana wind.

[State the price of your sacrifice.]

“I desire to perform a covenant.”

The moment I finished my last words.

Everything around me turned pitch black.

Countless stars filled the void.

They moved as if they had a will of their own, forming the shape of a tree.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“In the eternal name of Yphrasia.”

As I recited the first verse, space vibrated slightly.

“Recalling the forgotten ritual.”

At the second verse, the stars that formed the shape of the tree began to glow faintly.

“I perform the covenant of life and death.”

The moment the last verse ended.

Space distorted like ripples.

[O pilgrim, bearer of Yphrasia's Karma. May the grace of life be upon you, the great Sovereign of Demons.]

“…?”

Sovereign of Demons?

Wasn’t the Dragon Race the only species with such a title?

Rumble.

As the grand ritual ended and my pitch-black vision returned to normal, Rudine was staring at me, her mouth opening and closing slightly.

And.

On the palm of my outstretched right hand, lay a ring.

“…Oh.”

The Ring of Yphrasia.

The only Artifact that could partially control the Heavenly Star of Slaughter.