The moment I absorbed every last drop of the energy forming the celestial being’s body, leaving nothing behind.
Rustle!
The hard, stone altar crumbled into dust as if it had never existed.
And, of course, so did the celestial being who had radiated overwhelming dominance from atop it.
The sudden silence brought a wave of relief to my exhausted body.
“…Haa.”
I let out a long breath and slumped to the ground.
That was close.
Facing a celestial being in “Suoden” is as dangerous as battling one of the “Seven Great Evils of the Continent” or the “Four Divine Beasts.”
In this case, the being’s descent was incomplete, and luckily, the essence forming its body happened to be a special type of energy—blood energy. Without those coincidences, I’d be dead.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime miracle, one that shouldn’t ever happen again.
I don’t care anymore—I just want to sleep.
How nice it would be if I woke up to find the Suoden login screen on my computer.
While I was indulging in such idle fantasies:
Ding!
[You have absorbed special blood energy!]
[One of the powers stored within ‘Stellar Blood’ has been imbued in your body!]
“…?”
The floating message snapped me out of my daze.
“Stellar Blood?”
Even when I played as a blood mage, I’d never encountered that term.
Well, I never got to enjoy the proper content since I was always being hunted by bounty hunters and knights, so that’s not surprising.
Judging from the context, it seemed that the blood energy of beings as exalted as celestials possessed unique properties compared to regular blood energy.
And when I absorbed it…
Unbelievable.
It bestowed something as rare as a “power.”
Powers are like superior versions of skills. Having just one decent power could drastically lower the difficulty of raising a character.
The realization that I had gained one right from the start made me involuntarily gulp.
[The Power of Resistance has been imbued in your blood!]
[You gain 90% resistance to status effects such as burns, poison, curses, and frost.]
“…Seems like I’m not fated to just roll around helplessly.”
Seeing the details of the power, I let out a laugh.
Ninety percent resistance to all status effects? That was practically immunity.
Even the best elixirs, which cost 5,000 gold apiece, only provided 60% resistance. Yet I now had a body that permanently granted effects beyond that.
Wait, if I have this…
With this unexpected, exceptional reward in hand, a certain plan began forming in my mind.
It was a plan only someone like me, who knew Suoden inside out, could devise.
Using the Power of Resistance well might even allow me to overcome the blood mage’s severe penalty of low blood energy recovery.
“E-excuse me…”
At that moment, a hesitant voice called out from not far away.
It was the group of people who had been captured earlier.
This time, I truly released the chains that had bound their bodies.
“Ah… We’re free! We’re alive!”
“Thank you… Truly, thank you, benefactor…”
“Thanks to you, I can see my wife and children again! I will never forget this kindness!”
The freed captives wept with joy and shook my hands, bowing repeatedly.
One of them, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a merchant, spoke with a guilty look.
“Those devilish creatures took every coin we had, so I have nothing to give you as a reward. What should I do…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh…!”
The man’s face lit up with even greater emotion.
He seemed to think I was noble for not caring about a reward, but that wasn’t it. I already knew the cultists had hidden a treasury somewhere in this cathedral.
“If you ever visit Grancho Village, please come to the ‘White Donkey’ Trading Company. I will definitely repay you for this day!”
“Sure.”
Since there was no reason to refuse, I made a mental note of the name, White Donkey.
At that moment:
“E-excuse me… I’d also like to…”
A young voice spoke up this time.
Turning, I saw a girl with short brown hair, the youngest among the captives.
Wait a second. Isn’t she…
“…?”
Could it be that starting at this cathedral was a stroke of luck after all?
I never thought I’d encounter Nora Steelville, the granddaughter of the Steelville family, like this.
“The continent’s greatest family of blacksmiths”… That’s how they were described, wasn’t it?
Although their story now included a backstory of their downfall.
Even so, the skills of the current family head, Jackson Steelville, hadn’t diminished.
Meeting the hermit Jackson required a legitimate route—through Nora, the girl now standing before me. In other words, this was a chance encounter.
“Um, I… I want to repay you too…”
The girl looked hesitant, unsure whether to speak or remain silent. It was obvious why. She wasn’t debating the reward; she was agonizing over whether to reveal her identity as a Steelville.
The family’s fall and Jackson’s seclusion were caused by the sins of their ancestors.
Even in the game, Nora never revealed her name to Bismarck. Initially, she was only labelled as “Mysterious Girl.”
But suddenly, Nora leaned closer and said:
“My name is Nora Steelville.”
“…?”
“And my grandfather is Jackson Steelville, the head of the Steelville family.”
What?
She wasn’t supposed to reveal her real name here. Could it be that the Suoden I knew was different from this world?
Maybe the Steelville hadn’t fallen in this reality.
No, that’s unlikely. If they were upright, she wouldn’t be whispering and glancing nervously at the others.
Even with her timid demeanor, Nora brought her face close to my ear, her cheeks red. She was cautious to keep others from overhearing the name Steelville.
That confirmed it. In this world, too, the Steelville family had fallen.
But why was she revealing her identity to me?
“S-sorry if this seems rude, but earlier… I heard you mutter something while fighting.”
“Mutter? Me?”
“Yes… Something like ‘Dark Light Divine Sword.’”
“…”
Ah. That cleared things up.
Nora wasn’t only tied to Bismarck’s storyline. Another playable character, Damian, also encountered her in a late-game hidden quest.
In that storyline, Nora discovered something by chance—that Damian was the successor of the Dark Light Divine Sword.
“If I misheard, I apologize—”
“No, you heard right. I am the successor of the Dark Light Divine Sword.”
“…!”
Nora’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Of course, I wasn’t a successor; I was just someone unfairly trapped in this game world. But what’s the harm in rolling with it?
“Of course! My grandfather has been looking everywhere for the successor!”
“Uh…Why?”
Though I already knew, I feigned ignorance to maintain the flow.
“Well, I don’t know the details. But he said that anyone who could wield the Dark Light Divine Sword would be like a saviour to our family.”
“Hmm.”
“He told me if I ever met the successor on my journey, I was to bring them to the workshop at all costs.”
Nora’s gaze was resolute.
“My grandfather said that, as a blacksmith, he would pour his heart and soul into creating a masterpiece for you… even if it meant staking his life.”
“A masterpiece…”
“Also, you saved my life! Knowing my grandfather, he’d burn with passion to repay you properly!”
It was a classic plotline, yet it never failed to impress.
Playing as Bismarck would only reward you with a decent A-grade item. But as Damian, the rewards changed.
As Nora said, you’d receive a weapon truly worthy of being called a masterpiece.
Usually, it took reaching the mid-to-late stages of the game, fulfilling strict conditions, and completing a hidden quest to get it.
This situation was nothing short of divine luck.
But…
“Would you mind coming to the workshop with me? Aside from my grandfather’s gratitude, I’d like to properly thank you for saving my life…”
“That’s not possible right now. I have my reasons.”
The Steelville head’s masterpiece, huh?
“Not bad. It’s good, but…”
Don’t I have a more urgent fire to put out first?
Mainly, the problem of securing blood energy.
If I don’t solve this first, the ultimate arsenal or whatever else will be completely meaningless.
When a blood mage runs out of blood energy, they die.
Not just weakened—no, the heart outright stops. Damn it all.
In other words, I’m like a pathetic little sunfish right now, a terminally ill patient on borrowed time.
Fortunately, thanks to the Authority of Resistance, a solution to this cursed penalty has already formed in my mind.
First, deal with the penalty. The Steel & Ville can wait.
“You… seem to have your reasons.”
Nora drooped her shoulders, looking disappointed.
“Don’t worry. Before long, I’ll visit your workshop myself.”
“Oh… yes!”
At my promise, Nora’s face lit up noticeably. It was likely joy from realizing she had forged a connection with the saviour of her life and her family.
“But, uh, our family workshop is in a bit of an out-of-the-way place. There’s a small village west of the Drekal Empire where—”
I already know where your family’s workshop is.
Still, Nora’s earnest explanation was adorable enough that I listened without interrupting.
“… Will you be able to remember? If it’s too difficult, I can draw you a map or something…”
“I’ve memorized it perfectly. Don’t worry. Now, hurry up and leave this place with those people. I have things to take care of here.”
“Ah, yes!”
I think her backstory was something about crossing the continent to broaden her horizons, only to be kidnapped by worshipers.
Reckless, honestly. Wandering alone through this vast, treacherous Demonic Realm without even a single escort? Utterly foolish.
After expressing her gratitude once more, Nora left the cathedral with the others.
What I told her about “things to take care of here” was no big deal. I just needed to allocate some skill points.
[You’ve spent 300 BP to unlock this skill!]
[You’ve acquired the blood mage-exclusive skill, !]
The skill allows you to compress blood energy into various weapons. It has several advantages beyond simply conjuring weapons from thin air.
For weapons created with , your weapon mastery increases by several folds, and since they’re made of blood energy, they have infinite durability.
No worries about them breaking or rusting.
And that’s not all.
For example, say you create a bow and arrows with . As long as you provide enough blood energy, you can generate an infinite supply of arrows. No need to fuss over quivers or reloading.
But only if there’s enough blood energy.
“I need to deal with this quickly.”
The system doesn’t give me an exact numerical readout, but I know my body well enough to gauge it.
Roughly two days. That’s how long I can go without replenishing blood energy before things get dire.
Two days. That was relatively lenient.
Is it thanks to absorbing the blood energy of a Celestial?
In any case, two days. That’s the time I have to overcome this cursed penalty.
After leaving the cathedral, I made my way through the forest and arrived at a nearby village, where I secured lodging.
Thus ended my first night in this game world. The next morning:
“Where to, sir?”
“Roadaile.”
As soon as dawn broke, I boarded a coach heading to , one of the major cities in Suoden.
The fare for the ride came from the funds I took from the cathedral’s treasury. It was a decent sum, enough to avoid immediate financial worries.
What I really needed to focus on—once again—was the blood energy penalty.
I was headed to Roadaile because the key to resolving this issue was there.
Specifically, in the great forest adjoining the city.
“…”
As I sat in the rattling carriage, I quietly thought about the future.
The ideal would be finding a way back to reality, but I don’t have a single lead on that…
Returning to Earth would first require staying alive long enough to even attempt it.
Survival.
That was the ultimate goal I had to pursue.
And in this world, survival doesn’t mean hiding away in some remote corner and enjoying a quiet, healing life.
This continent is like a candle in the wind—constant attacks from demons and monsters. And most of all, in two years…
The Inferno Gate.
The Hell’s Gate opens.
From that point, the game’s genre shifts from medieval fantasy RPG to full-on apocalypse.
The Demon King, sealed 500 years ago by an expeditionary force, awakens, leading an army that plunges the continent into hell.
Since it’s a fixed part of the storyline, it’s inevitable.
But we’re not supposed to sit idly by and wait for this impending doom.
The Seven Calamities. I need to hunt them all down within two years.
The Seven Calamities—children of the Demon King who rule the underworld of the continent.
Killing them delivers a significant blow to the Demon King’s spirit, which is connected to them.
Think of it as dealing more damage than destroying a familiar.
This would make the great war against the Demon King much more manageable.
And the ones meant to accomplish all this? The six heroes of Suoden, the protagonists of the game.
But they’re not here, are they?
If the Seven Calamities must be eradicated and the Inferno Gate closed, it seems I’ll have to handle it all alone.
What an absurdly cruel predicament, no matter how you look at it.
“… Or perhaps I’m being too negative.”
Why am I assuming the playable characters don’t exist in this world?
Just because the Kanreon Order is gone and all their skills have been transferred into me doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been erased.
A prime example: Nora Steel & Ville who made the signature weapon of Damian were still here.
If so, there’s a good chance Damian exists somewhere in this world… Wait, what?
At that moment, as the carriage pulled into station, something caught my eye.
A monolith.
A tall, black stone monolith stood in the middle of the central plaza.
That wasn’t there before.
The original design called for a fountain in this spot. There’s no way I’d forget something so obvious in a whitewashed city.
Curious, I disembarked and approached the monolith.
And then…
“…!”
For a moment, my vision went dark.
Not because of the monolith’s colour but because—
500 years ago.
Here lie the warriors who stood against the Demon King and sacrificed themselves to protect humanity.
[Damian Abel] [Ray Dioff]
[Sylvia Lan] [Arthur Horizon]
[Kara] [Bismarck]
The names of the six playable characters were engraved on the monolith as part of a memorial for the fallen.
It was now confirmed: the six heroes didn’t exist in this world.
They had already turned to dust centuries ago.
“Damn.”
Why were they altered into being part of the expeditionary force 500 years ago?
Reeling from dizziness, I stumbled, placing my hand against the monolith.
[The Celestial of the Great Sword senses your soul!]
[The Celestial of the Great Sword invites you to the sanctum!]
I’ve been waiting for you, Father.
Accompanied by a voice that was both unfamiliar and familiar, my consciousness faded.
