The statement that there is no summonable target is by no means simple.
If it were an environment where summoning was impossible or some other reason existed, a different message would appear.
The message that a target does not exist signifies only one fact in the worldview of Ventair.
The subject’s death or complete annihilation.
“……Why?”
Why now, all of a sudden?
Wasn’t Nkingki a being born from a skill?
Yet, where in the world could there be a reason for such a Nkingki to vanish?
No, in the first place, how could an otherworldly Death God vanish?
Especially when I hadn’t summoned it and hadn’t used the skill.
I had no choice but to stand frozen in that spot, lost in all sorts of thoughts alone.
[The skill ‘Summon Death God’ is being activated.]
I tried activating the skill again.
[Skill usage canceled.]
[No summonable target exists.]
The result was the same as expected.
‘Did it really vanish?’
‘Does this mean Nkingki really died?’
‘Has the ‘Summon Death God’ skill become unusable now?’
‘How could such a thing be possible?’
‘What could be the cause that brought about this result?’
‘Where and what did I do that became the problem?’
Even when I quickly retraced my memories, I couldn’t find a clear point.
If there was something that bothered me, it was only the fact that the power of Drisella I obtained this time was similar to that of Nkingki’s.
Drisella’s power, which allowed for perfect understanding and complete control, enough to call her the God of Magic.
However, Nkingki was an otherworldly being who had mastered not just magic power, but all forms of energy.
Whether it was Vitalianus or Atawolf.
It had a presence and pressure that any being had no choice but to fear and revere.
That kind of being was what Nkingki was.
As my thoughts reached that point, one hypothesis suddenly occurred to me.
“……No way.”
If.
If it were truly a case of ‘if’.
The Death God, who freely wielded all energies.
What was its true identity?
“Drisella……?”
‘Was it not the old God of Magic?’
‘Could it be that it completely vanished the moment Hio inherited its divine authority?’
Stuck with an unbelievable thought that had suddenly emerged, Hio could not move from that spot for a while.
-Actually, the very concept of skills was a strange ability to begin with. It was a power that did not fit the laws of the world.
Sword mastery, which requires sharpening the body and mind over dozens of years.
Magic, which similarly requires honing the spirit and scholarship.
Unlike those, the ability known as skills consumes magic power but is far too easy to use.
Wasn’t one of the reasons Hio could stand against Kreutzvalt, even if only for a moment, precisely because of skills?
It means there is no risk.
No casting time, no activation conditions.
Except for the fact that it consumes magic power, there is no problem at all.
Such a characteristic becomes an even greater advantage as one moves toward higher-tier skills.
-Didn’t I say that every god was involved in building the system? Why don’t you think of it a little differently? That every god was involved in every skill.
Every skill is imbued with the power of every god.
Thinking of it that way, it seems to make sense.
The immense power of top-tier skills.
The effects that often manifest when using them.
If they are part of the gods’ abilities, it is understandable.
“Then that means Nkingki disappeared because I obtained Drisella’s power…… No, it met a complete annihilation.”
-Don’t think too much into it. It could have been one of the arrangements left behind by the Death God, rather than being Drisella itself.
“……That can’t be.”
Furnel’s words might be correct.
After all, there is nothing I can be certain of right now.
However, once my thoughts had reached this far, there were things I could simply know by intuition.
The Death God that vanished at the same time I obtained the divine authority.
Two powers that are bizarrely similar.
It was his true identity that I had realized far too late.
***
Time flows quickly.
Though that could be said for anyone, Hio’s days were also a series of repetitions.
He learns magic during the 5 minutes or so that he uses Drisella’s power.
After the power wears off, he practices the magic he learned.
The results were clear, as patterns began to fill the 7th circle which had been empty, and the sense of stability settled even more heavily.
However, since it was difficult to sustain it for long due to the aftermath of the divine authority, he had to continue other research in his remaining time.
For example, golem research.
Or something like exploring the top floor of the Magic Tower, the room of Abelard Pavlenko.
Among them, the golem research had made some progress in its own way.
-According to the materials found in the laboratory of the golem researcher Lelendis on the 89th floor…….
It was thanks to Furnel, who actively engaged in the research.
Perhaps he judged that he could no longer give advice to Hio regarding magic.
Or maybe there was some other reason, but thanks to Furnel, who was strangely fixated on golems, Hio’s knowledge about golems was growing day by day.
-Can you believe it? This person, Lelendis, was a more incredible person than I thought. The theory was already at the completion stage. The mystery is why the experiment couldn’t be finished.
“What do you mean, the theory?”
-The most perfect golem. Of course, I would have to see that psycho goddess’s ice golem once, but Lelendis’s golem is theoretically the most perfect golem.
“Is it to that extent?”
Furnel, responding to Hio’s question by puffing up his body and nodding his head wide.
He seems quite excited.
-It is superior to humans not only in strength but also in flexibility. On top of that, it is a perfect golem even equipped with magic pathways.
“……That’s what you call a golem?”
-Should I call it a doll? Anyway, it’s definitely an incredible invention.
“Is there a sample?”
Furnel shakes his head with an expression of great regret.
***
The problem is that even in the laboratory, that theoretical golem could not be found. It must certainly be somewhere…… It would probably be so sophisticated that it could not be distinguished from a human.
“If it’s that sophisticated, how do you distinguish it?”
-According to the records, it cannot make a voice, so that would be enough to tell.
“I see.”
Furnel, who was nodding, looks around the empty space of the Magic Tower.
By the way, when is the psycho goddess coming?
“I don’t know. She said she’d come as soon as things are settled as quickly as possible, so she should be here soon.”
As if that was true.
Not even a few days had passed before Airlights returned to the Magic Tower again.
Furnel, who was scrutinizing the ice golem that Airlights had brought out, takes his eyes off the golem and turns his back.
-Hmm…… I’ll be honest.
A message delivered with a solemn expression like a doctor who has just finished a surgery.
-I don’t know just by looking at it!
Hio lets out a low sigh with an expression that says ‘I knew it’.
“It’s okay. I didn’t have high expectations.”
– Ahem. As you know, golems are not my specialty…….
“I know, I know.”
The ice golem that Airlights inherited and the golem of the golem researcher Lelendis that Furnel highly praised.
Furnel had guaranteed that they could achieve better results if they compared the two, but when Airlights actually brought the golem, he reacted by saying he couldn’t tell just by looking.
It was a natural matter.
He isn’t a golem expert, and there is no way he would know it immediately just because he read some research records recently.
Furthermore, Lelendis’s golem doesn’t even have a physical form.
Since he had to compare what was completed only in theory through imagination, there was no way it could work.
“Let’s drop the golem research and focus on something else.”
-……Understood. I admit that I got a little excited because golems are top-secret and of the utmost importance even among magicians.
“If you could have created it according to your plan, it would have played a big role even if we went to the Abyssal Depths.”
-It can’t be helped. Still, there is that ice golem. Since it is specialized for combat, it might be more helpful in the Abyssal Depths.
The number of golems owned by Airlights is 10,000.
They are as dependable as the Empire’s Knight Order.
In that it doesn’t need to be protected by Hio, and in that it follows Airlights’ orders unconditionally, it might actually be better.
Then, moving past the golems. Next is the former Lord of the Magic Tower’s hidden room…….
The former Lord of the Magic Tower’s hidden room is the place where the dragon stained by the Abyssal Depths was bound, as seen from the memory gate.
Of course, in the current present, it is just a secret room that is empty, without a dragon or anything from the Abyssal Depths.
I don’t think it’ll be easy to find anything right away.
What needs to be found there is a passage.
A passage heading to the Abyssal Depths, and nothing else.
A passage that the ancient dragon and Kreutzvalt must have used.
However, since it is located within the Magic Tower anyway, those who can use it would be limited to Hio, Airlights, and Freya.
Therefore, I deferred its importance and though it wasn’t progressing quickly, it was moving forward slowly.
But it looked like it would take even more time than I thought.
The very act of searching for the passage is too vague.
Without any information or methods, I am simply searching for a passage to the Abyssal Depths.
It is bound to be vague.
“Should I try using Drisella’s power?”
-That…… let’s leave it as a last resort. We aren’t going to open a passage here anyway. It’s too much of a waste to use the power that I can barely use for 5 minutes a day here.
“That’s true. There’s still so much magic to learn.”
-Let’s wait. There must be a way.
Hio, who nodded, looks at Airlights this time.
No, actually, she had been in his field of vision for a while, but he had been trying to pretend he didn’t see her.
“Airlights.”
“Yes?”
“How are the Divinity Points? Are they being collected well?”
“Yes. A little more and I’ll have enough to buy a decent divine authority.”
“……Already?”
“Yes. I love you.”
Airlights, who has been clinging to his arm again since returning from Fioria.
I gave up on trying to pry her off a long time ago.
That is because she attaches herself to my side before I even know it, without a sound.
-Hehe, just stop pretending you don’t like it and accept it. I’ve known your true feelings for a long time.
“Noisy.”
“Hmm? Hio’s feelings?”
“Enough, how did you manage to collect that many Divinity Points already? I only managed to get one a little while ago.”
Excluding the unique divine authority and basic divine authority, the Breath of Origin of Drisella is practically the first proper divine authority.
Hio, who exerts massive influence in two places, Earth and the Verdan Continent, is at this level.
Even though Fioria is at a national level, how could Airlights, who is active in only one country, collect Divinity Points this quickly?
To such a question, Airlights lifts her face that was leaning on his shoulder and looks up at Hio.
A sense of freshness was even contained in her flickering eye-smile.
“If you’re curious, would you like to go with me?”
“Where? To Fioria?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…… I am curious, but I don’t have the time. There’s a lot to do.”
I was genuinely curious.
What kind of state the Kingdom of Fioria, where Airlights was actively involved, would be in.
I have a feeling it would be quite far from the normal range, even if I don’t know exactly how.
Since I told her firmly not to commit crimes, she wouldn’t have done anything majorly bad, but I have this feeling that it wouldn’t be normal either.
“Then let’s go together after you finish everything.”
“……When I finish everything.”
“Yes. There are many places with beautiful scenery in Fioria. And a lot of delicious food, too. I’ll get it all ready.”
“Yeah, that sounds nice.”
“And after that, let’s go to Hio’s hometown by dimension transfer.”
“If it’s my hometown…… in Korea?”
“Yes. I’ve been curious for a long time.”
“That too, well…… yeah.”
Even if it is unfamiliar, I think talking like this with Airlights is actually quite nice.
Most of our conversations had always been about what to do next, as this was the first time we had talked about such a future.
‘Have I become permeated by Airlights before I knew it?’
Airlights, who always expresses her feelings unilaterally.
The reason I stopped trying to force her away was because I felt both gratitude and apology for those unchanging feelings.
Of course, there were definitely times when it was a bit excessive.
Come to think of it, that was Airlights.
A person with whom I have been through many things, shared a painful past, and now talk about the future together.
“I heard Korean food is delicious. It’s not that far away, but I’ve never been there. You guide me, Hio.”
“……Yeah.”
Time is bound to flow, and since we started, we will meet the conclusion in one way or another.
After everything is finished like that.
“Let’s definitely do that.”