< Chapter 166: Adam’s Mark (2) >
“Forgive my rudeness.”
“It’s okay. Can you explain first?”
“Yes.”
Illyna began to explain.
“The bead that I gave you… it’s a family treasure called ‘The Great One’s Promise.'”
I looked at the bead I was holding. It’s emitting a brilliant green light.
“A thousand years ago, during Alfheim’s crisis, the great father of the forest who appeared and saved us, it’s the item left by the ‘High Elf’.”
High Elf?
“And this ‘The Great One’s Promise’ only reacts when in contact with the great father, ‘High Elf’.”
“…”
So, they called me the great father.
I understand.
But one question remains.
“I understand why you were convinced that I’m a High Elf. But why did you test me with this bead?”
Because they suspected me to be a High Elf, they deceived me with the bead disguised as medicine.
What made them suspect me in the first place?
“There are several reasons. First, your beautiful appearance, a refreshing scent that even enchants me, and…”
Illyna looked at me with clear eyes.
“A boundless power that even my ‘eyes’ can’t grasp.”
“Ah…”
I see.
I had forgotten in the chaos.
I heard that Alfheim’s Queen Illyna was called the ‘Queen of Truth’ who could see through a person’s depths.
‘That means she has the ability to read one’s [System].’
Then everything makes sense.
It’s a similar situation to Hermit’s. She misunderstood because she couldn’t read my system.
‘So, that’s why she was friendly from the start.’
I thought it was strange.
For an intruder, she was too kind.
“I presume, great father, you’re wandering this chaotic world of war while hiding your identity.”
Illyna gazed at me earnestly.
“You’re trying tirelessly to end this war, aren’t you?”
Illyna approached and gently touched my body.
“Given the extent of these severe wounds…”
I had nothing to say in response since none of what she said was accurate.
“I apologize for testing you with ‘The Great One’s Promise’. I’m truly sorry.”
Illyna bowed deeply at 90 degrees.
It was the most respectful apology.
Looking down at the back of Illyna’s head, I got lost in thought.
Digesting the words she said, summarizing the main keywords, and using them as information.
‘Chaotic world, war, rudeness, and apology.’
Combining the information I know from the original story…
‘I roughly understand.’
I now understood why Illyna did what she did.
“Alfheim is in danger, isn’t it?”
“…!”
Illyna’s body, who had her head bowed, shook noticeably.
“That’s why the queen herself was patrolling the outskirts. Because there’s a shortage of troops.”
Because of Alfheim’s crisis, Illyna must have decided to hand over the ‘Promise of the Great One’ to me.
Even though she knowingly was committing a ‘rudeness,’ she had no choice.
“Lift your head for now. It’s hard to talk like this.”
“…Yes.”
Illyna slowly raised her head.
Both of our faces are flushed with shame.
To me, who is perceived as the high elf, it must be shameful for her to reveal that her nation is on the brink of collapse.
“I’m sorry. The nation that the great father built… I…”
Blood streamed from her tightly pressed lips. She must feel such deep shame and anger.
“It’s okay.”
There’s no reason for her to apologize to me in the first place. After all, I’m not a high elf.
But I can’t just say that, so I made an excuse.
“Even for my ancestor, the first high elf, stopping the current situation would’ve been a challenge.”
“…Yes.”
Illyna gave a bitter smile.
Just from that reaction, I can tell. It must be the demons causing problems.
‘Then, as expected, this timeline is during the First Great Racial War.’
How much time has passed since then?
I need to clearly understand the current timeline.
“How long has it been since the demons first attacked?”
“6 years, 11 months, 21 days… It’s almost 7 years.”
“It’s been that long already…”
If it’s been 7 years, then there’s only about 3 years left until the world’s destruction.
…Wait a minute.
The 7th year?
My pupils dilated.
“By any chance, when you say Alfheim is in danger, is it because the beast kingdom’s fall is imminent?”
“…Yes.”
“I thought so…”
Rena Beast Reperiel.
The day I unexpectedly met her, I heard many stories.
Stories about the events that happened during the 7 years, from the start of the war to just before she was sealed.
She said,
― With the full support of our ally, Alfheim, we fought, but ultimately, we couldn’t stop the demons.
Thus, Rena decided to flee to the Korean Peninsula, Alfheim.
But since even Alfheim wasn’t safe, in order to survive, she had to choose to be sealed.
And so, Rena was sealed.
This is the story I know up to the 7th year of the war.
“What’s the current situation in the Beast Kingdom, Reperiel?”
“…To be honest, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were destroyed any moment.”
It’s the worst situation.
“If Reperiel falls, then Alfheim’s destruction is essentially inevitable.”
“…Yes.”
China has long been taken over by the demons.
The Dwarven Kingdom.
If the Beast Kingdom, Japan, is also taken by the demons, then Alfheim will be completely isolated.
After that, they will naturally be on the path to destruction.
That’s what Illyna is worried about.
“I understand the situation now.”
“Then…”
Illyna looks at me, her eyes filled with anxiety, impatience, and hope.
“I will help you.”
“Th-thank you!”
Illyna’s expression brightened instantly.
“Can you start healing my wounds now? I’d like to help, but not with my body in this condition…”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I’ll call the pharmacist right now!”
Illyna rushed out of the room immediately.
* * *
“…So, you decided to help this country?”
“Yes.”
As soon as I returned to the room, I poured out everything that had just happened to Ai.
“Why?”
“Because I have to.”
“So, you’re saying there’s a reason you have to?”
Ai looked at me with a gaze mixed with both worry and dissatisfaction. It was a look that seemed to ask why I would willingly involve myself in a dangerous situation like a war.
“Alright. I’ll explain in order. You understood our situation, right?”
“…Yes. I still can’t believe it, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that we’ve traveled back in time by ten thousand years.”
She rolled her eyes.
“That’s why it’s even more incomprehensible. Shouldn’t we be looking for a way back to our original world, not trying to change the past?”
Ai glared at me.
“Haven’t you seen movies? Changing the past can have dire consequences in the future.”
It seems she’s worried about the butterfly effect…
“That’s highly unlikely.”
“Why?”
“The future of this timeline is ‘doomed.'”
“What?”
“This world will ‘end’ in 3 years. The majority of sentient beings will ‘die,’ and the survivors will all be sealed and left in ruins for a whopping ten thousand years.”
“When this world of diverse species perishes, a unique species called humans emerges, starting a new history.”
“?”
Ai tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“Meaning, history has a break in between. No matter what you do to the front part of the broken tape, it won’t affect the latter.”
“…Ah~”
She seemed to get the gist of it, even if she didn’t fully understand.
“Besides, to find a way back to our original timeline, it’s better to assist Alfheim.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because we need someone to help us.”
“Oh….”
It’s simple.
It’s more efficient for Alfheim and Reperiel, two countries, to help us find a way back, rather than just the two of us.
“Also, we’re complete outcasts here. We need a place to rely on.”
There won’t be many places that welcome outcasts like us.
“The ‘power balance’ here is different from where we came from.”
“Born superior to humans, all sorts of different species, and with the ‘transcendent system’ and various main system functions activated… was it?”
“You remember well.”
Considering various reasons, it’s concluded that assisting Alfheim is far more beneficial. We can’t abandon Princess Rena either.
“You sure talk eloquently. I told myself not to get involved with smooth talkers.”
She sighed.
“Fine. I’ll go with your decision, Seo-yul.”
“Thank you.”
It seemed like Ai was convinced.
“So, we have two main tasks. We help Alfheim and Reperiel to prevent their doom, and with their assistance, we find a way back.”
“Additionally, we must search for the Unknown, Maiden, and Hermit who might have been transported to this world with us.”
“Oh, right.”
Moreover, we need information on the 1st Species Great War, the ‘Decade of Void,'(ten years of blank) which remains a mystery. This is the best immediate course of action for me.
* * *
That night.
I was taking a shower in the bathroom assigned to me.
“…It’s not much different from modern times.”
Although the form of the shower head and other various details were slightly different, the main functionality was similar. The water temperature could be adjusted, as could the water pressure.
“It still stings a bit.”
When the water touched it, a lingering wound still stung with mild pain as the water seeped into it.
“If only I could use my divine power, it would heal right away.”
I sighed, looking at the constantly shining white mark of the Angel race on my body.
“Not just divine power, I can’t use any of my abilities at all.”
I inspected various parts of my body. Specifically, I was looking at the marks of Adam all over my body.
“They’re all white…”
In the mirror, all of Adam’s marks had turned white. Just like the mark of the fire spirit and the Angel race.
However, not everything was the same.
“Most of the marks remain the same… Why have only the Angel, Beastmen, and Spirit race marks changed in form?”
I had a few hypotheses in mind, but it was too early to conclude anything based on just this observation. Lost in thought, staring at the marks…
“Oh, I need to check the marks on my back.”
I realized I had to inspect the large mark of the dragon race on my back and the mark of the elf race on my shoulder. And as I checked my back,
“!”
My pupils dilated in shock.
“…Black?”
The mark of the elf race was stained in black. Moreover, its shape had transformed into something more sophisticated.
“What is this…?”
Black + shape transformation.
This was a pattern I had never seen before.
“Ugh.”
I had a headache.
* * *
The next morning.
Perhaps it was due to the absence of the boiling pure blood, but I was able to sleep soundly for a whole 7 hours.
“…I’m tired.”
Even after sleeping for 7 hours, I still felt tired. It’s a rare feeling of fatigue.
“Yawn.”
While yawning, I headed to the training hall that Illyna had introduced me to yesterday. I had to check my physical condition first.
‘There’s no one here.’
The training hall was quiet.
It’s currently wartime.
They probably don’t have the luxury to expend energy on training. It’s expected. If you’re here, you’d likely be too busy resting.
‘The caretaker must have worked hard.’
The inside of the training hall was well-organized. The weapons were neatly hung by type on racks, and the huge mirror occupying half the space didn’t have a single fingerprint on it.
There were no typical sword marks on the walls either.
“Isn’t this a bit of an obsession with cleanliness?”
It was so tidy that such a thought came to mind. I quietly approached the shelves. At a glance, I could see more than ten different weapons.
While wondering which weapon to try out and scanning the shelf,
“Huh?”
There was a sword in a corner.
A massive greatsword that took up an entire shelf. At first glance, it seemed to exude an aura proclaiming, “I am an extraordinary sword.”
‘…Could this be an ancient relic?’
With that much presence, it seemed likely.
I casually approached it. It seemed like a good opportunity. I wanted to test my power using an ancient relic.
‘But did the elf race use greatswords?’
Hmm. Well, there might be elves who do.
If we’re talking about the elf named Robin, who used to be a giant, it’s possible.
I nonchalantly reached out for the greatsword.
At that moment.
“Argh!”
I felt an intense, suffocating pain in my thigh.
It was a pain similar to when I held the ‘Promise of the Great One’ yesterday.
The difference being that yesterday’s pain felt like a ‘burn’, while today’s felt like a ‘bruise’.
“Gasp, gasp.”
Even the fact that the pain ceased rapidly was the same.
“Whoa, shit…”
I really thought I was dying.
That was when I was catching my ragged breath.
“…Huh?”
The hand that was holding the sword caught my eye.
‘Why have my muscles grown so much?’
Even my nails have become sharp.
Sharp enough to resemble a blade.
…Wait, a change in my physique?
“No way!”
I remember there being a large mirror.
I quickly turned toward the direction of the mirror.
The moment I saw my reflection, I was dumbfounded.
“Beast ears…?”
On my head were ears that looked like those of a tiger, yellow and beastly.
Even my hair had turned a pale yellow.
The slim figure I once had vanished, replaced by a physique that seemed like I had bulked up with enormous muscles.
“At a glance, I look like a beastman…”
To anyone looking, I’d look like a member of the tiger race.
Yesterday, I had transformed into the form of an elf. I looked down at the greatsword I was holding.
‘When I held the relic of the elf race yesterday, I transformed into the form of an elf.’
Does this mean this relic is from the beastman race, and my changed ability is to ‘transform into the form of the corresponding race when I hold their relic’?
“…So does this mean, not just the appearance, but I can use all the characteristics of the respective race?”
Given the transformation of my muscles, it seemed highly likely.
I felt the need to test it out. I exerted strength throughout my body. My muscles swelled even more, pulsating as they expanded and contracted.
“I’ve definitely become stronger.”
That’s when it happened.
rip
My clothes began to tear.
My massively swollen muscles were too much for my clothes to handle.
“Oh no…”
Cloth mainly from my thighs and arms ripped away, revealing the impressive muscles.
“…Huh?”
Then I was taken aback.
Not particularly because of the enormous form of the muscles.
I was shocked because I recognized the ‘mark’ etched onto the muscle of my thigh. It was the changed mark of the beast race.
“Black?”
Surely, until last night, the mark of the beast race was white. Now it had turned black.
But that wasn’t the only shocking thing.
‘…Wait a minute, how much time has passed?’
I was too dazed to check the time.
I quickly checked the time.
“2 minutes 37 seconds?”
More than 2 minutes had passed since I picked up what I presume is the relic of the beast race.
Yet, there was no sign of any spark.
“What is really happening…?”
My pupils reflected in the mirror, trembled intensely.
< Chapter 166: Adam’s Mark (2) > End.
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