Chapter 3
The instant I absorbed every last drop of the blood ki that had formed the Constellation’s body,
Crack!
The stone altar—made of solid rock—crumbled into powder as if it had never existed in the first place.
Naturally, so did the Constellation that had been radiating overwhelming pressure from atop it.
The sudden, heavy silence that followed brought a wave of exhaustion crashing over my body.
“…Haa.”
I let out a long breath and sank down right there on the spot.
I’d come this close to dying.
In 《Soden》, facing a Constellation was an ordeal on par with battling one of the “Seven Great Evils of the Continent” or the “Four Divine Beasts.”
This time had only worked out because the summoning was incomplete and—by sheer luck—the foundation of its manifested body happened to be blood ki, a very special circumstance…
A miracle that would never happen again—and one that absolutely should never happen again.
‘I don’t care anymore. I just want to sleep.’
How nice would it be to wake up and see the 《Soden》 login screen glowing on my computer monitor?
While I was lost in such idle fantasies—
Ding—.
[You have absorbed a special type of blood ki!]
[One of the authorities stored within the ‘Star Blood’ has taken root in your body!]
“…?”
The message floating in midair snapped me wide awake.
“Star Blood?”
Even during my time playing as a Blood Mage, I’d never encountered that term.
‘Well, I was always being chased by bounty hunters and knights, so I never got to experience proper content anyway. Figures.’
In any case, from the context, it seemed that the blood ki of high-ranking beings like Constellations possessed a special quality unlike ordinary blood ki.
And when I absorbed it…
‘Holy shit.’
…I could obtain something as rare as an “authority.”
Authorities were essentially superior versions of skills.
A single decent authority could drastically lower the difficulty of raising a character.
The fact that I’d obtained one right from the start made me swallow hard—
[‘Authority of Resistance’ has taken root in your blood!]
[You now possess 90% resistance to status ailments such as burns, poison, curses, cold, and so on.]
“…Looks like I’m not doomed to just roll over and die after all.”
Confirming the nature of the authority, I let out a short laugh.
90% resistance to all status ailments!
That was practically full immunity.
Even top-tier potions costing 5,000 gold each only granted 60% resistance at best,
Yet here I was with a body that enjoyed an even greater, permanent effect.
‘Just wait. With this…?’
The moment I unexpectedly obtained this god-tier reward, a certain plan flashed through my mind.
A plan that only someone like me—who knew almost every scenario and piece of content in 《Soden》 inside and out—could possibly come up with.
The Authority of Resistance. If I used this well…
Overcoming the Blood Mage’s utterly trash-tier blood ki recovery penalty might not be impossible after all.
“U-Um, excuse me…”
Just then, someone called out to me in a timid voice from not far away.
It was the people who had been captured.
This time, I properly released the iron chains binding their bodies.
“Ah, aah…! I’m alive! I’m alive!!”
“Thank you… Thank you so much, benefactor…!”
“Thanks to you, I can see my wife and children at home again! I will never forget this kindness!”
Freed at last, some wept tears of joy while others clasped my hands and bowed repeatedly.
Among them, a middle-aged man who looked like a merchant spoke to me awkwardly, looking embarrassed.
“Those devilish bastards took every last coin we had, so I have nothing to give you right now, benefactor. I don’t know what to do…”
“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it.”
“Ah…!”
A deeper wave of emotion washed over the man’s face.
He seemed profoundly moved by my apparent indifference to reward, but that wasn’t it at all.
I just happened to know that the worshippers had stashed a safe somewhere in this Star Hall.
“If you ever find yourself passing through ‘Granko’ village, please come visit our ‘White Donkey’ trading company. I swear I will repay today’s favor!”
“I will.”
There was no reason to refuse, so I mentally filed away the name “White Donkey.”
“U-Um… me too…”
This time, a young voice spoke up.
When I turned, there stood the youngest among the captives—a short-haired brunette girl.
Wait… hold on. This girl…?
“…….”
At this point, maybe waking up in the Star Hall as my starting point was actually a stroke of insane luck?
Who could’ve guessed I’d end up encountering the granddaughter of the Steel & Anvil family like this.
***
‘The continent’s foremost master blacksmith family… that was the setting, right.’
At the present point in time, there was also the additional setting that they had fallen into ruin for some reason.
But even if the family had collapsed, the skill of the current head, Jackson Steel & Anvil, could not possibly have fallen with it.
Contact with the girl standing before me—Nora Steel & Anvil—was the only official route to meeting the reclusive Jackson.
In other words, this was a golden opportunity.
“U-Um… I also want to repay you somehow…”
“…….”
For someone offering repayment, she looked remarkably hesitant.
I knew why she was acting like this. It wasn’t that she was reluctant to give thanks—the hesitation came from debating whether or not to reveal that she was a descendant of the Steel & Anvil family.
‘The reason the family fell into ruin and the current head went into hiding was because of a crime committed by their ancestor.’
In the original game, she never ends up revealing her name or identity even to Bismarck.
The NPC nameplate only ever displayed “Unknown Girl” for the longest time—
Suddenly, Nora leaned in close to my face and whispered,
“M-My name is Nora Steel & Anvil.”
“…….”
“And my grandfather is Jackson Steel & Anvil, the head of the Steel & Anvil family.”
…What?
I distinctly remembered that in the original story, she never gave her real name here.
Could the setting in this world be different from the 《Soden》 I knew again?
Just like how the Kanreon Order didn’t exist, perhaps the Steel & Anvil family hadn’t fallen here either?
‘No—that can’t be. If they were still proud and upright, there’d be no reason for her to whisper like this while glancing around nervously at the others.’
Despite her timid personality, Nora had turned bright red and brought her lips right up to my ear.
If the people here heard the name “Steel & Anvil,” it would cause all sorts of trouble.
It seemed that in this world too, the Steel & Anvil family was indeed a fallen house.
Then why was she boldly revealing her identity to me alone?
“U-Um, this might be rude, but… earlier while you were fighting, I overheard you muttering something.”
“Muttering? Me?”
“You said… <Black Radiance Divine Sword>… I’m sure of it.”
“…Ah.”
The question was finally answered.
It wasn’t just Bismarck who had an event tied to Nora.
The Swordsman character, Demian, also met her during a “hidden quest” that activated in the mid-to-late story.
In that process, Nora accidentally realized the truth:
That Demian was the successor of the <Black Radiance Divine Sword>.
“I-If I misheard, I apologize—”
“No. You heard correctly. I am the successor of the <Black Radiance Divine Sword>.”
“…!”
Nora’s eyes widened like saucers.
Of course, I wasn’t actually any successor—I was just an unfortunate victim who’d been forcibly dragged into the game.
But hey, good is good, right?
“I-It really is…! My grandfather has been desperately searching for the successor!”
“Why?”
I already knew the reason, but I pretended ignorance to keep the conversation flowing naturally.
“W-Well… I don’t know the full details myself. But Grandfather said that anyone who can wield the <Black Radiance Divine Sword> is no different from a great benefactor to our family.”
“Hmm.”
“He told me that if I ever encountered the successor of the <Black Radiance Divine Sword> during my travels, I must bring them to the forge no matter what.”
Nora looked up at me with determined eyes.
“Even if our family’s honor has fallen, he said that with the pride of a blacksmith, he would forge the greatest masterpiece possible as repayment…”
“A masterpiece, huh…”
“And on top of that, you saved my life. Knowing Grandfather’s personality, he would truly burn his soul to create something incredible just for you.”
Even as a veteran player, I couldn’t help but inwardly gasp at how perfectly this was unfolding.
So it could go this way too.
‘When playing as Bismarck, you just get a decent A-rank item as a reward and that’s it…’
But it’s different with Demian.
As Nora said, you obtain a weapon so exceptional that calling it a “masterpiece” doesn’t do it justice.
That’s why it’s a reward that only comes after reaching the mid-to-late story, and even then only after clearing a hidden quest with extremely strict conditions.
In that sense, the current situation could only be described as an incredible stroke of heavenly fortune.
However…
“If it’s not too much trouble… would you be willing to come with me to the forge? Apart from what Grandfather said, we must at least give you the grandest hospitality in return for saving my life…!”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible right now. I have circumstances.”
Not yet.
A masterpiece forged by the head of the Steel & Anvil family?
Sure, that sounds amazing… very tempting…
But right now, I had a far more urgent fire that needed putting out first.
The issue was, of course, the blood ki supply problem.
‘If I don’t figure out how to deal with this first, the best weapon in the world or anything else will be completely useless.’
When a Blood Mage runs out of blood ki, they die.
Not just lose strength—no, their heart literally stops. Fucking hell.
In other words, right now I was like a pathetic pufferfish on life support, a terminal patient with an expiration date.
Thankfully—miraculously—thanks to the ‘Authority of Resistance,’ I actually had a plan in my head to overcome this cursed penalty.
Priority one: solve the penalty. The Steel & Anvil family came second.
“…You have circumstances, I see.”
Nora drooped her shoulders, looking visibly disappointed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll visit the forge myself in the near future.”
“Ah… yes!”
The moment I made the promise, Nora’s expression brightened noticeably.
She must have been thrilled to have formed a connection with someone who had saved her life—and was a benefactor to her family.
“But… Grandfather’s forge is a bit out of the way. There’s a small village to the west of the Drekal Empire’s territory, and from there—”
I already knew exactly where your family’s forge was located.
Still, seeing how earnestly she was explaining it made me feel a little sorry for her, so I listened quietly.
“…Will you remember? If it’s too difficult, I can draw you a map or something…”
“I’ve memorized it perfectly. Don’t worry. More importantly, get out of here with the others as soon as possible. I have something I need to take care of here.”
“Ah, yes!”
If I remembered correctly, her setting was that she’d been traveling the continent to broaden her horizons when she got kidnapped by the worshippers.
Stupid decision, honestly. Wandering alone through this vast demon-infested forest without even a single escort.
After that, Nora expressed her gratitude once more before leaving the Star Hall together with the others.
The “something I need to take care of here” that I’d mentioned to her wasn’t anything grand—just unlocking a skill.
[Consuming 300 BP to unlock the skill!]
[You have acquired the Blood Mage exclusive skill: <Blood Weapon>!]
The skill <Blood Weapon>, which allowed one to clump blood ki into various armaments.
Beyond the obvious advantage of being able to hold a weapon even when completely unarmed, the skill had several other merits.
‘When using weapons created with <Blood Weapon>, weapon mastery talent is multiplied several times over, and since they’re made of blood ki, durability is effectively infinite.’
No need to worry about them breaking or rusting.
And that wasn’t all.
For example, if I created a bow and arrows with <Blood Weapon>,
As long as I had blood ki to supply, I could generate infinite arrows. No more tedious process of reaching into a quiver and loading one by one.
Yes—as long as I had blood ki to supply…
“I need to resolve this quickly.”
The system didn’t display an exact numerical timer, but since it was my own body, I could tell better than anyone.
Roughly speaking, I could go about two days without replenishing blood ki before it became a real problem.
Two days. That was actually relatively generous.
‘Must be thanks to absorbing the Constellation’s blood ki.’
In any case.
I had two days.
Within that time, I absolutely had to overcome this damned penalty.
***
After leaving the Star Hall, I somehow made my way out of the forest and arrived at a nearby village, where I secured lodging.
And so, my first night in this game world passed.
The next morning—
“Where to, sir?”
“Roadale.”
As soon as dawn broke, I boarded a stagecoach bound for <Roadale>, one of the major cities in 《Soden》.
The fare was paid with the money I’d taken from the Star Hall’s safe yesterday. It was a decent amount, so I wouldn’t have to worry about finances for the time being.
What I did need to worry about—once again—was the blood ki supply penalty.
The reason I was heading to Roadale was that the key to solving the penalty lay there.
Or, more precisely, in a certain great forest adjacent to that city.
“…….”
I leaned back in the rattling carriage and quietly thought about the future ahead.
‘The absolute best outcome would be finding a way back to reality, but I don’t have a single clue about that…’
Returning to Earth was something I could only think about once I was sure I’d stay alive.
Survival.
This was the ultimate goal I had to pursue.
And survival in this world was not some cozy dream of holing up somewhere quiet, avoiding adventure, and living a healing lifestyle.
‘This continent is like a candle flickering in the wind. The assaults from demons and demonic beasts never cease, and above all—two years from the story’s current point…’
The gates of hell.
Inferno Gate will open.
‘From that moment on, the game genre drifts from medieval fantasy RPG straight into apocalypse.’
The Demon King, sealed away 500 years ago by the expedition force, awakens once more, leading his legions to turn the entire continent into a living hell.
That is the scripted, inevitable scenario—something that cannot be stopped.
Of course, I had no intention of sitting idly by, waiting helplessly for the cataclysm two years from now.
‘I have to take down the <Seven Great Evils> within those two years.’
The Demon King’s own children, who hold dominion over the continent’s shadows—the <Seven Great Evils>.
Killing them would deal a massive blow to the Demon King’s soul, since their minds are linked to his.
‘In short, it’s like taking far greater damage than if his familiars were simply destroyed.’
The great war against the Demon King two years from now would become significantly easier.
……And the beings who were supposed to make this plan possible were none other than the protagonists of 《Soden》—the six heroes.
‘But they don’t exist?’
That meant I had to single-handedly uproot the <Seven Great Evils> and seal the Inferno Gate.
Looking back on it again, it really was a tear-jerkingly shitty situation.
“…No. Maybe I’m thinking too negatively.”
Why was I so quick to conclude that the original playable characters didn’t exist at all just because they weren’t here?
Just because the Kanreon Order was absent and all the characters’ skills had been dumped onto me didn’t necessarily mean the heroes themselves didn’t exist somewhere.
A clear example: yesterday, Nora Steel & Anvil had recognized <Black Radiance Divine Sword>, the very symbol of Demian’s identity.
‘If that’s the case, then there’s a very real possibility that Demian exists somewhere in this world… Hm?’
At that moment.
The moment the carriage arrived at the station in <Roadale>, something caught my eye.
A stele.
A single tall, jet-black monolith, like an ancient tree, stood alone in the center of the main square.
I had never seen this stele before.
‘Shouldn’t there be a fountain here instead?’
A stark black pillar standing out in the middle of a city dominated by white tones—I would have remembered something like this.
Puzzled, I stepped down from the carriage and approached the stele.
And then.
“…….”
For a very brief moment, everything before my eyes went pitch black.
Not because the stele itself was black…
──────
500 years ago. The heroes who willingly laid down their lives to stand against the Demon King and preserve humanity now rest here.
【Demian Abel】 【Ray Dioph】
【Sylvia Ran】 【Arthur Horizon】
【Kara】 【Bismarck】
──────
The names of all six playable characters were engraved on the stele—as a list of the dead.
In that instant, my conjecture that the six heroes did not exist in this world became certainty.
They had long since turned to dust and bone.
‘Fuck.’
No—why the hell were these characters set as members of the expedition force from 500 years ago?
Dizziness hit me so hard I staggered without realizing it, and the moment my palm touched the stele—
[The Great Constellation of the Sword senses your soul!]
[The Great Constellation of the Sword invites you to the sanctuary!]
—I have been waiting for you, Father.
A voice that felt both unfamiliar and strangely familiar rang out.
And with it, my consciousness faded.