Chapter 190

“Ahh… Finally found it. You kept your covenant…”

Ragnarok’s holy ground. Now the headquarters of Pathfinder, when nomads arrived at this place, they pressed their faces to the earth in overwhelming emotion or even grabbed handfuls of dirt and put it in their mouths.

After all, finding the path from the wilderness outside the tower to the Great Labyrinth’s 59th floor, and finally finding Pathfinder’s scouts to set foot in this place—it was all an incredible adventure. The overwhelming joy of those who had made such firm covenants and overcome countless life-threatening moments to finally reach this place was beyond words.

‘…This is moving.’

My feelings watching them were the same.

‘With the Outer God’s interference, I could barely convey a few proper words… yet they came all this way believing in just that.’

Along the way, some who encountered calamities had to abandon their supply carts, carefully selecting only the most precious items to carry in their arms to reach this place. Others who didn’t even have that luxury spent the entire journey risking their lives to gather new magical materials, tying their outer garments like sacks to carry them.

“I once heard from a School Nomad teacher about something called a natural magic stone, which is supposedly very precious. This… to my eyes, this looks like a natural magic stone… am I right?”

The nomad taking out a warm stone from his chest looked frightened. Afraid that his life-risking adventure might turn out to be useless… his pupils trembled anxiously left and right.

I took his hand.

“You’re absolutely right. It’s a stone with a fire spirit dwelling within.”

The nomad’s face brightened completely.

‘Thank goodness.’

Every time I had to judge the items people brought risking their lives as worthless, my heart felt like it was tearing apart. The curse of a mage’s fate that prevents lying was truly hateful at such times.

Still, fortunately, most cases involved precious items. Family treasures passed down through generations or valuable resources saved for their children’s education someday… they had brought them without sparing anything.

‘Perhaps… if these people had been born on Earth, they might not have been this devoted.’

But this is the Star Continent. The resonance and depth that the word “extinction” carries here was on a different dimension from Earth.

That’s why… my shoulders were that much heavier.

These people truly believed. That I would stop the extinction. They truly believed this, which is why they had packed up their futures and come all this way.

“I must repay their hearts.”

I looked around the warehouse. The resources consumed fighting the fifth apostle seemed to be about 30 percent replenished.

But the biggest harvest was still…

“Spirit stones.”

What the magical academic world called natural magic stones.

Stones with spirits dwelling within.

They were valuable magical materials, but due to their poor versatility compared to their rarity and price, they weren’t traded much. Such precious items were now piled up thickly in one corner of the warehouse.

With this, I could finally gather the resources needed to produce the first batch of magical exoskeletons.

* * *

Looking at this bustling scene reminds me of my childhood, when I lived in the wilderness.

On days with heavy snowfall, adults frantically preparing for winter. Children running through the snow with horses and dogs they were raising.

Noisy, troublesome, yet fun—one of the few peaceful memories.

“Hey! Where are you going! I can’t do fly magic yet… ugh!”

“What? You say my flames are lousy? Hmph? Well, how good are yours… oh, oh… yes… amazing.”

“That’s a movement barrier. Yes. I told you, right? The world has become a mess and is full of corrupted energy.”

It was bustling.

The mages struggled with loud, exaggerated voices.

“Hahaha. They’re all impressive mages, but seeing them like this, they all look like nannies. It’s funny.”

Yuria laughed heartily beside me.

“Right, Sori?”

But her new partner didn’t seem particularly interested in matching her mood.

-I don’t know! Frustrating! This isn’t right! Fix it properly! Idiot! Don’t you understand?!

The wind spirit that Yuria had named “Sori” poured out whining complaints while creating violent winds around her. If Yuria were an ordinary mage, she would have been hung upside down without a chance to prepare for such a powerful and sudden storm!

But for Yuria, who had awakened a spirit and received abundant love from magical powers, advancing from 4th Circle 5-star to 5th Circle 5-star and leaving just one step before reaching the wizard realm, such tricks didn’t work.

“Look who’s throwing a tantrum?”

With ki-infused hands, Yuria grabbed the wind spirit and tucked it under her arm, gently stroking it.

“What do you want me to fix? You’re already a miracle just for regaining consciousness when you were practically dead. It’s thanks to me generously tearing off magical power to help you ‘evolve,’ isn’t it?”

Her words were sharp and playful, but her touch was infinitely gentle and kind.

The wind spirit that had been creating fierce storms in rebellion gradually calmed its winds at the pleasant touch, soon creating gentle, pleasant breezes.

‘The spirit that Yuria awakened is particularly intense in emotional expression. The actual winds it creates are also stronger than other specimens.’

‘Evolution.’ This concept was first established when I accepted Iron Blood. It was refined again when I awakened the wind spirit Ari.

Basically, it was the act of combining conscious beings with will with magical power to transform them into new beings that had never existed before. Using a Philosopher’s Stone could increase the success rate, and thanks to my ‘evolving’ Inggolli and even Gyeolli, adding various records to the Akashic Records, I could now attempt ‘evolution’ with much higher success rates than before.

And the dozens of mages who had awakened spirits this way.

This was why this place was so bustling.

Some spirits asked questions all day, others ran away all day, some showed off all day… each spirit had completely different personalities.

Entertaining enough to watch all day without getting bored.

But why do such differences arise?

It’s presumed that differences in personality emerge from a combination of factors. The capabilities of the mage who used ‘evolution,’ the power the spirit-to-be had possessed in life, and pure luck…

This made me suddenly curious.

‘Ari. What kind of spirit were you in the past?’

How strong was my spirit in the past? Was it a primordial spirit born from the combination of a Philosopher’s Stone and magical power? Or was it a lower-grade spirit born from the division of that primordial spirit… with reduced magical power concentration? According to the Shadow Library, the ancient demigods deteriorated through generations, and this became a major source of conflict among the gods…

-Does that matter? What matters is what you can become in the future. The past that can’t be changed isn’t important.

Perhaps reading my childish thoughts, Ari created a breeze that gently pushed my chest.

‘A foolish question answered wisely.’

What does it matter… indeed.

That was a small but important realization that struck my heart.

Right. The spirits we awakened are actually nothing more than shadows of the past. The remnants of the past with lost selves, abilities, and magical power—beings with only empty shells remaining. What fills those shells is ultimately the current mage’s role.

The past glories cannot be revived. Mages simply use the broken resources of the past to build new glories. Making concrete from the rubble of ruins to construct new cities. Whether the stones were once used in great cathedrals or as foundation stones for common homes doesn’t matter.

If until now I only tried to imitate the gods of the past, from now on is the time to build the future. We stand at that crossroads.

‘Right. The future. The ‘magical exoskeleton’ won’t be a copy of a god. It will become a new god itself.’

An uncharted path without predetermined answers.

Like when I was young and first left footprints on untrodden snow, my heart pounded excitedly.

While I was getting carried away by myself… a panicked voice was heard.

-Horororo! Sc-scary. Strange. The w-world is strange-roro!

One fire spirit fell into panic, thrashing about in all directions. I couldn’t even see its master, and the panicked creature’s flames flickered here and there.

“Hahaha. That one’s quite the coward.”

-For such a creature to be our kin… such a timid thing…

Yuria laughed while the wind spirit Sori showed discomfort, and through it all, Tris flew over with her white hair flowing. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed in anger.

“Hey! Stop! Do you want to die?!”

[Stop or Die?]

As synchronization rates increased day by day, Tris’s dragon heart now spoke in nearly complete sentences.

The panicked spirit froze stiff in place.

-Hiiiek! Th-this scary voice sounds familiar-ruru? Hiiiek! Yes! Yes! I’ll behave-horo!

The flames pressed flat against the ground, burning pitifully. Tris picked up the flames with one hand and couldn’t help but burst out in frustration.

“Ugh! Of all things, the spirit I drew had to be such a coward!”

-Hiiiek! Sorry-horororo!

Yes… so even such a seemingly pathetic spirit might become something later.

Knowing this, even while sighing deeply, Tris held the spirit in her arms.

“Run away again and you die, got it?”

She held the trembling fire spirit and roughly stroked it.

‘Well, no matter how rough, it’s still just tiny hands, so how rough could it be?’

Spirits, essential beings for creating customized magical exoskeletons.

Everyone was struggling hard to commune with the spirits they had awakened.

* * *

‘A week has already passed.’

Including the time I had stopped, it had been over two months of research time.

There were moments when my vision went dark, but I kept my covenant. Everyone… we finally did it.

At last, the first prototype was completed.

Production preparations were also finished, so once today’s demonstration ended, the necessary quantities would be produced within days.

Woom-woom-woom-

One intricately carved necklace gleaming in the sunlight. And one crude handbag.

The handbag wriggled as if it contained a small animal, and familiar voices came from the necklace.

-Is it starting? Are you going to call us now?

-Being here makes me feel nostalgic-rrrr.

Ari and Inggolli had become yet another existence through Tris’s gift [Mutation]. But that didn’t mean they were constrained to the necklace. Rather, they had expanded.

‘We finally made it this far.’

I stroked the necklace and handbag once each, deeply moved.

Gulp-

Even at my meaningless gesture, the mages gathered in the plaza swallowed nervously. Thousands of eyes rolled around following my movements. Following the mages’ eyes, the hundred or so spirits they controlled also rolled their eyes.

Not only them.

<The promised day was today.>

<He definitely said he’d show the old appearance.>

<But… nothing’s changed?>

<Did you believe that? He’s the same too.>

<No. You know too, don’t you? What’s said gets fulfilled.>

<But he’s different. He’s different, you know that too?>

<I’m dizzy. I don’t know. But… he’s familiar.>

<This time he’ll show it too. Seeing that will clear this confusion.>

The magical powers. Poor magical powers whose selves had been scattered, forgetting even who they had been.

They stood perfectly still in rows, watching me.

To see if what was said would be fulfilled.

To monitor whether what was said would come true.

Not knowing they were dead, searching for their former selves.

“Yes. Now it’s time to fulfill the promise and revive the old appearance to stand before you.”

I picked up the handbag and grabbed the brilliantly glowing necklace, bringing it close.

Dazzling light burst forth.

It was the day the first magical exoskeleton was completed.