Legacy of the Artisan

“Apostle appearance? The Wizard of Refinement requested rescue?”

Wizard of Domestication Pan-Dalus grabbed his handbag and shot to his feet.

“Yes! The location is the 9th Continent.”

Listening to the continuing report, Pan-Dalus gnawed at his lips anxiously.

“Why is an apostle already…? This is much faster than calculations.”

The continents of stars created through the cooperation of countless gods. In contrast, the Outer God trying to devour the world was singular. No matter how powerful the Outer God might be, it couldn’t consume this world so easily.

Yet an apostle had already infiltrated the rear lines?

This speed made no sense. No matter how generously one estimated, the Outer God was overextending itself. Even if it succeeded in annihilating humanity, it would have to slumber for eons afterward.

But such facts offered no comfort. If humanity perished, everything would be over anyway.

‘Thank heavens for the magical exoskeletons.’

Without the magical exoskeletons developed by Baek Jun-woo, this battle would have been hopeless from the start. But now they had a fighting chance. When ten or more wizards equipped with magical exoskeletons gathered, they could certainly defeat an apostle.

And if it were himself and Oh Si-jin… even just the two of them…

Finishing his thoughts, Pan-Dalus hastened into action.

“I’ll go provide support too!”

“Yes! Here’s the shortest route to the 9th Continent.”

Pan-Dalus’s aide handed him the prepared documents. A map reflecting the changed paths after the great cataclysm. To reach the 9th Continent, he would have to traverse five floors within the Tower of Covenant and three continents outside the tower. Even rushing, it would take a full half-day.

‘Damn it. Damn it all…!’

Hastening his steps, Pan-Dalus cursed inwardly.

According to Baek Jun-woo, in the past there probably hadn’t been floors in the Tower of Covenant either. The closer the world drew to destruction, the more dimensions became twisted, and floors began separating within the Tower of Covenant. The dimensional distortion phenomenon called ‘event horizon’ occurred worldwide, and only ruins protected by powerful forces remained as bridges connecting the warped dimensions.

Grinding his teeth as he took the long way around, climbing stairs to cross paths that could have been reached in a straight line, Pan-Dalus was tempted more than once to leap into the ‘event horizon’ stretching alongside the stairs. But he couldn’t. The event horizon was where space-time was distorted. Anyone who entered would have time stop completely. They’d never escape again.

There were floating islands that could use dimensional leaps through gaps between floors… but that was a miracle only possible with ancient gods’ technology. Even that was becoming increasingly restrictive.

‘Si-jin… just hold on a little longer.’

Going the long way around, Pan-Dalus repeated this over and over.

What rose in his mind was Oh Si-jin’s face. The same face as now, from when he was fifteen. A child whose appearance had been frozen in that state after losing his parents in an accident.

How much that child had despaired,

How fiercely he had devoted himself to magical studies,

Yet how he had shown such kindness without losing his warmth—

Pan-Dalus remembered it all. Though Oh Si-jin wasn’t officially his disciple, emotionally he was Pan-Dalus’s first student. Oh Si-jin too treated him with the respect due a master. It had always been so, but especially after Pathfinder’s founding, it became even more pronounced.

There were still things he wanted to pass on. Secret techniques he wanted to teach remained.

He must not die here.

All lives were precious, but among them, some were particularly irreplaceable.

But Pan-Dalus’s form, flying swift as light, gradually slowed and stopped.

A message spell reached his ears. An urgent message spell carried by his handbag rang out.

A command from 7th Circle Grand Wizard Wizard of Rebirth Walrot, who led central headquarters.

-Command given. Two apostles of the Outer God have appeared at the supply base. Additionally, we’ve detected another apostle approaching from nearby. The nearest Wizard of Domestication must intercept the third apostle’s approach. You must delay the third apostle’s reinforcement as much as possible. The success or failure of the entire supply mission depends on this task. Keep this in mind.

“Ah… I was almost there…”

Pan-Dalus sighed.

His expectations had been wrong again. He’d already thought the invasion speed was too fast, but now there would be additional apostles? Three of them?

Staring blankly ahead, he squeezed his eyes shut and changed direction. It was away from where Oh Si-jin was.

“Divine Wizard… please hurry.”

The fierce counterattack of the Outer God. There was no time to look after each other. All he could hope for was Baek Jun-woo’s swift victory.

Pan-Dalus’s prayer scattered on the wind.

* * *

Renoa saw her childhood flash before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

The fragrant scent of wind reeds.

Her master tearing off a large piece of well-grilled wind reed and handing it to her. Those caring, thin hands that had pressed cool, sweet lami sap into her palms.

When her master passed away and was given a cremation funeral, his body burned for three days and nights. Sobbing as she watched, Renoa discovered a brilliantly glowing orb among the crackling flames, among the ashes that had been her master.

An orb that no one else could see. The village elder had asked quietly.

“Can you see the orb?”

“Yes.”

“Then swallow it.”

Renoa swallowed the orb as if possessed, then immediately lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, a year had passed. Her fresh green hair had turned white, and people called her ‘Forest’s Balance.’

From then on, she heard the World Tree’s voice.

Just as her master had before her.

Renoa instinctively understood.

‘I can’t let it be taken!’

The druid’s orb.

The divine artifact that allowed the formation of the druid organization.

By swallowing it, one could hear the World Tree’s voice. One could inherit the title of Forest’s Balance. What she had inherited from her master. Something that should remain united with her soul until her death.

‘Never! Absolutely never!!’

The white lump of light that Jun-woo was now looking at with a broad grin. Though she had no basis for it, Renoa was certain that was the druid’s orb.

“Back off now! The druid’s orb belongs to the druids!”

A tearing scream erupted from Renoa’s throat like a shriek. But Baek Jun-woo answered without even looking at her.

“Druid’s orb? This isn’t anything like that.”

Renoa trembled at the greed oozing from his voice.

“Back off! I said back off!”

Strangely, her emotions were out of control. Renoa cried like a child. She couldn’t tell where this place was. Everywhere was pitch black with only the white lump of light floating around. Still, one fact seemed clear. This wasn’t a place permitted to mortals like herself. A place close to the world’s roots, its essence. A location she should never have descended to in her lifetime, where no one should intrude.

How had she fallen here with what magic? How had Baek Jun-woo followed her down? She couldn’t even understand that now.

Renoa just sobbed. Her emotions had broken free of control and were running wild. Her heavy limbs wouldn’t obey, and she could only scream until her throat was raw.

“Get out! Get out, I said! Don’t touch anything and just get out! You villain!”

Baek Jun-woo frowned as if Renoa’s wailing was troublesome and annoying. But he didn’t actually look her way. His gaze remained fixed solely on the white lump of light.

“How long are you going to lie there silently?”

-…I cannot grasp the situation.

A voice suddenly interjected. A voice that resonated from the floating lump of light. Renoa gasped. The screams and wails that had been circling her throat fell away with a thud. Joy slowly spread across her face.

“Th-this resonance, could it be…! Lord World Tree? World Tree! That ruffian there is…!!”

Like a student tattling to her teacher, Renoa chattered away with pure delight. But the voice paid her no more attention than a buzzing fly. The voice focused solely on Baek Jun-woo.

-Was there still a living junior around? That shouldn’t be possible…

“Junior? No. A fellow who died long ago and left only fragments.”

Renoa couldn’t follow their conversation.

Why were they so casual with each other? As if they knew each other. As if they were equals.

She muttered with vacant eyes.

“World Tree…?”

Baek Jun-woo glanced at her briefly and said.

“You keep calling him the World Tree, but Lord Artisan?”

-…That’s a reasonable misunderstanding. Rather, you’re the strange one. How do you know my name? Who are you, anyway…? No matter how I look, you’re unfamiliar. Are you also an Outer God?

-He is not. Lord Artisan Hephaestus.

Another new voice interjected. This time it was a voice spreading from within Baek Jun-woo’s body. blue magical power seeped out from inside Baek Jun-woo, who had been surrounded by white magical power. Deep blue magical power asserting its presence among the white magical power.

-Watcher?

-Greetings. It’s been a long time…

-Why are you inside that body? Your soul should have been torn apart and combined with mortals’ souls…

-That was the case… but now I’ve transferred here.

-That’s normally impossible. If it had been possible, I wouldn’t have needed to process my own soul into an artifact.

Artisan Hephaestus calculated high-dimensional principles while emitting a white glow. He meant that there was no way for god’s fragments to voluntarily attach to other souls.

But convincing him didn’t require complex explanations or calculations.

Grim Reaper spoke the names of two beings.

—Lord Designer Che…m…n..

At that moment, Artisan Hephaestus’s fragment pulsed with white light and trembled greatly. He was shaken by the name Designer.

-Not only that… Lady Terra Madre GAIA also…

Watcher Grim Reaper couldn’t continue the conversation long this time either.

-This is as far as I can go… Until we meet again.

Muttering those words, he sank deep again. The blue magical power emanating from within Baek Jun-woo smoothly disappeared.

But just those two names seemed to provide Artisan Hephaestus’s fragment with all the necessary information.

Complex patterns flowed across the surface of the pure white light representing him. He trembled uncontrollably, unable to hide his agitation. He approached close enough to touch Baek Jun-woo’s nose.

-You were harboring Lord Designer? And Lady Terra Madre arranged for you?

Baek Jun-woo scratched his white hair vigorously.

“Des…igner? Ah damn. I heard it just now but it’s already getting fuzzy.”

He reached toward Artisan Hephaestus and said.

“Seeing how the name is hard to remember, it seems like he was the one I harbored. After stopping the Water’s Destruction and vanishing, I became unable to remember his name. And Lady Gaia… told me to collect god’s fragments.”

The Artisan remained silent for a long time. He stared at Baek Jun-woo’s outstretched hand and stayed lost in lengthy silence.

After a long quiet, he finally answered.

-I see… Understood. I entrust my final will to you. Please… may you, our descendant, complete the work of creation.

That was all. The white lump of light burrowed into Baek Jun-woo’s palm.

Baek Jun-woo pointed to the stupefied Renoa and asked mischievously.

“What about her? Is that okay? She said the druid’s orb belongs to the druids?”

-Insulting. Those who desecrated my will reduced to artifacts…

Leaving behind cold cynicism and self-mockery, Artisan Hephaestus’s fragment completely disappeared into Baek Jun-woo’s body. Only deep darkness remained in the dimensional fault.

“You, you, what the hell…”

Renoa stammered. Her finger pointing at Baek Jun-woo trembled in the air.

Baek Jun-woo didn’t answer.

He simply raised his finger quietly and flicked it.

Snap!

At that moment, the world brightened.

It was the World Tree’s trunk, full of green light. The night sky visible between the leaves was atmospheric.

“…Huh?”

Had it been a dream? Mental magic?

Confused, Renoa swept her hair back. Then she froze and dropped her hand. The flowing hair felt strange. She pulled her hair in front of her eyes.

“What… is this?”

It was green. Like her distant childhood, like the time before swallowing the druid’s orb. Green hair swayed in the breeze.

And her chest felt empty.

The solid orb she’d always felt near her heart, the druid’s orb, could no longer be sensed.

Looking up blankly at the sky, she saw Baek Jun-woo’s retreating figure flying through the fragmented sky toward the World Tree’s crown. For some reason, his hair seemed to be burning even whiter.