Chapter 33: 32 – Wildcard

Early in the morning, Chohong left for Ira's temple while saying she'd drop by at Gula's later.

Flone started to come with us, but then said that she felt a bit uncomfortable being nearby the temples so she decided to stay behind.

Which left me to visit Gula alone. And the moment I knelt down in prayer before her statue again...

[My. I had expected some great things from you, but to cause this much...]

'What do you mean?'

[First of all, bringing the Rothschear's heir back to life- No, granting her a new life as a being with divine grace. I cannot even fathom how such a miracle occurred, but such an event will definitely be of a great boon to you.]

'Well, I couldn't just let her suffer there alone, could I?'

[Indeed... However, to think that you would develop in such a way... But that is not all. To rejuvenate Ian Denzel and inspire him so. And to do the same to Arbor Muto... Though mere ripples at this time, they will swell to a tsunami in the future.]

I heard a faint sigh in my head.

[How is it that you continue with these events in such a matter? Forcibly binding debt through gratitude and creating karma... How surprising. Despite it all, even I cannot see your future.]

'That'd be bad if you could, right?'

[Indeed. But you should remain cautious. Despite it all, your actions have not averted the ultimate fate ahead. The wheels of time may resume their proper course at any moment... So be wary.]

'...I'm beginning to see that.'

Although I changed certain events, the 'path' so far was still the same.

[Yes. The fact that you have somehow unlocked one of the right directions will steer you. But you tread a razor thin edge. Too much and... Tch. It appears that is all I can disclose.]

'That's plenty. Thank you, Gula.'

[I must thank you. After all, you are the driving force in this matter... But now let us turn to your status. For your contributions, it would indeed be possible to advance to the next level. However... to do so will draw attention. Would you like to proceed?]

'I can choose to level up at any time, right?'

[Indeed. And, if I may be honest, I have not yet prepared a proper class for you at this step.]

'Then I'll wait. I'm looking forward to what you have to present to me, Gula.'

[Y-Yes. You will not be disappointed.]

xxx

After leaving the temple, I hung around for a bit to wait for Chohong. But when ten minutes passed and she didn't show up, I started to worry.

"Did something go wrong?"

I frowned and tried to think.

My memories of what events were supposed to happen were starting to blur. I could still remember a few key pieces of information, but as to the specific details, they were too vague.

Something important was happening around this time, right?

My frown deepened and I was tempted to use my insight skill to find out.

But then I heard someone call out to me.

"Pardon me." A nondescript man in a priest gown walked over. "Are you Mister Seol?"

"Hm?" I looked up and nodded. "That's me." I frowned. "Did something happen?"

He shook his head. "Nothing of the sort. Miss Chohong simply wanted to pass on a message that she has some personal business to attend to so you can go on ahead."

"Personal business..." I frowned.

Considering the timing of everything, and that she was due for a level up, it was odd... but I didn't see anything marking her in danger.

Maybe it really was that?

The priest waved and said, "In any case, I bid you a good day, Mister Seol."

With that, he left.

"...Hm." I glanced towards Ira's temple and considered the situation. "...Gula would have mentioned it, right?"

If something serious was happening, she would definitely hint at it-

No. She did.

Things were converging back on path... but since I unlocked the 'right direction' of the Nine Eyes, they would lead me.

"...I've got a bad feeling about this."

I stared off into the distance, unable to shake off the feeling that something big was happening soon. A major turning point.

"...Yeah. I should make some preparations."

Chohong should be fine for the time being, but maybe not for long.

So before then, I had to quickly finish up some projects and trump cards.

I pushed myself off my feet and then headed back to the headquarters.

xxx

"Hm?" Flone greeted me as I returned, but she paused when she noticed that I was alone. "Did that rude woman not come back with you, Jihu?"

I chuckled and said, "You aren't getting over that, huh?"

Flone rubbed my shoulders and said, "A rude woman is a rude woman."

I shrugged her off and then looked around. "I'm guessing that Chohong didn't come back either then if you asked me that."

Flone smiled and walked beside me. "You're the only one I've seen all day, so nope!"

"Hm..."

I didn't have a good feeling about that. Well, not quite. It was one of those situations where I felt like something would be happening soon, but not right now. In that case...

I started walking towards the lab downstairs.

"What're you planning on doing, Jihu?" Flone followed me.

I glanced at her and then said, "Preparations. There's something I need to figure out before things get too out of hand."

"Oh." Flone nodded. "Then do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Mm, it should be fine." I walked down the stairs to the lab that Ian and I shared and opened the door. "It's nothing that strenuous, and I could use a helping hand."

Flone pumped her fist up and said, "Well you've got two!"

I laughed. "You're definitely a ball of sunshine, aren't you?"

Flone smiled.

I walked over to the center of the room and took a look around.

Ian had done a bit of remodeling, lining the walls with bookshelves and papers. A few runic marks were etched on the floor in the cement, while various parchments were strewn about. There was also a desk with various drawers for all the various alchemy materials we had obtained.

I walked around the desk and then pulled out the bit of rudium I got from Mister Muto, placing it on the desk.

"Hm?" Flone frowned, staring at the rudium. "What's that, Jihu? A gem?"

"Something like that." I held out my hand and focused on my energy manipulation.

Almost immediately, I sensed everything around me. The waves in the air, the ambient mana, the faint traces of resentment that still emanated off of Flone, but were subdued... As well as the corrosive energy in the rudium.

This was important. In the actual timeline... from what I could remember, Seol had used it to save his life. I couldn't quite remember when or why he used it, but an object that could control the Parasites, even if with just simple commands was something I wasn't willing to give up on.

From the way Mister Muto reacted, it was possible for him to perfect it if he had the base material. The problem was just that the rudium's base 'ore' was irreplaceable. And from what he mentioned, this should also be the last of it.

Then it was up to me to recreate it.

It should be possible.

Even if the base of the ore was a piece of a divine god, that didn't mean anything. At its core, it was still 'energy', and my power was enough to control even the divinity of the Seven Sins gods. So it should be feasible. Just... difficult.

I made a chair for myself and then sat down. After that, I picked up the rudium and examined it again.

A crystal of corrosive energy, kept in check with magical glyphs. Right now it was at an equilibrium, but the moment that mana was injected to try and manipulate those glyphs to send an order out, the crystal would evaporate.

So then...

"Jihu?"

Flone called out to me, her face concerned. "Um... should I-"

"Could you hand me that book over there, Flone?" I pointed to a stack of books in the corner, specifically on a bigger leather-bound tome.

"Huh?" She blinked and then walked over to it, picking it up. "T-This?"

"That's right." I held my hand out to it while staring at the rudium. "Ian should have kept a record of all the material we have in that... I'm going to need you to hand me the materials while I try to figure this out."

Flone handed me the book and then her eyes widened. After that, she let out a bright smile and said, "Leave it to me, Jihu! I'll be the best assistant you'll ever have!"

"And I'll hold you to that. But for now..." I flipped the book open and scanned the list of materials.

Quartz, mercury, silver, fire crystals... various minerals and magical ores were listed down in the book in meticulous handwriting.

It seemed that, despite Ian's messy and carefree personality, he was meticulous in things like this.

I turned to a page with a picture of quartz and showed the picture to Flone. "I'll flip to what I need. Just look through here and hand it to me, alright? Should be simple."

"Will do!"

I nodded and then focused on the rudium again.

Now... how could I replicate this?

Rudium, rudium, rudium... It was biological in nature. That was, it came from a piece of something that was once alive. In that sense, it was similar to fossil rather than an ordinary mineral.

Energy manipulation allowed me to manipulate things even at the subatomic level, but the control needed to do that was still too extreme for me to do lightly. After all, I didn't want to accidentally set off an atomic bomb.

Transmuting elements was feasible because I was only shifting energy around, and the divine energy I had could be used to stabilize things in the process.

However, changing and forming minerals... Most minerals were actually a configuration of different elements. Steel was iron and carbon in various ratios, bronze was tin and copper... In that sense, I'd need to experiment a bit to get proper mixtures to make those. But it was still feasible.

Something like the rudium though...

"Here, Jihu!"

Flone handed me a piece of quartz. I took it with a nod and focused.

Like I thought, it was different. The quartz I had wasn't a pure mix of elements, but a crystal lattice formed from different molecules. Some impurities were mixed in as well even then.

But the rudium was clear. No, it was 'impure' in that it was a mess of a composite material with various unfamiliar compounds, but they all tied together in a similar way that the quartz crystal was held up. But how?

I frowned and flipped through the catalog again to look at other minerals.

Gold, ruby, sapphire, iron... I pointed out various gems and minerals to Flone and cross-examined their makeup with the rudium in front of me.

At the same time, I experimented with how each stored mana.

For the most part, metals were easy to channel mana through, but hard to keep. Although it 'stuck' to the metal well enough, it would eventually slide off.

If I had to guess, that would probably be due to how metals tended to shed electrons easily. I wasn't too sure how mana tied into things, but since it was also a type of energy, it also seemed to slide off.

The gems stored mana better than metal. From what I could see, it seemed to trap it within the stone, with various capacities depending on the purity of said stone. Diamonds stored the highest amount of mana in general, with no regard for the 'element' of said mana, but colored gems stored different types of mana with better efficiency.

From that, it seemed like mana was considered another type of 'impurity' that gave gems their color. Diamonds changed color depending on the mana type, turning blue with water and ice, red with fire, etc. The colored gems were already 'impure' in a sense due to the trace amounts of elements that gave them their color, so only the mana that matched those impurities were able to be put in without disturbing the balance.

All of that was useful information... but it didn't help that much with the rudium.

It was a nonsensical formation. Or rather, that was what I expected from a biological material.

Living organisms weren't as simple as minerals and gemstones. What seemed to be a complete whole was an intricate and complex interplay of parts and mechanisms that struck an equilibrium rather than a neat and tidy whole.

Countless proteins were transported through vessels in the flesh along bloodstreams that were carefully regulated in both pH and pressure... in short, complicated. And that was exponentially true for the rudium, which had been part of an actual 'dark god.'

I could 'see' everything that made up the rudium, but none of it made any sense to me. No, that wasn't true. I was fairly certain that I could piece together things if I used my insight skill, but the moment I had the thought to try it, I felt an incredible weight press down on me. As if the world itself were against me.

So I couldn't.

Maybe if I managed to take it with me back to Earth I could examine it in full there, but that brought another set of problems with it.

So I had to figure it out for myself.

An array of colors and energies intricately woven together. I could see the magical sigils overlaid by the imperial magi to make use of the rudium as well and how they linked up to the underlying structure. That part I could understand.

But it also wasn't what I was interested in. The magical sigils were complex and intricate, but nothing that any competent magic user couldn't comprehend with time and effort.

What I needed to reproduce was what had been hooked up to those sigils.

A corrosive substance with energies that seemed to have a mind of their own, kept in a solid form and at an equilibrium. While it was inert right now, when mana was injected into the substance, it would flare back to life and execute the magical sigils and carry out that corrosive will.

But it didn't make sense.

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Just examining the structure, I could see the individual pieces. I could see where they linked together, how the flow moved, how everything connected and moved as one. But it didn't have any *logic* to it.

If I had to compare it, the rudium was like a giant glob of paint- No, the mess that a toddler made when scribbling countless crayons together. The energies were all overlapping and in such intense amounts that they overwrote everything else. It was to the extent that adding any mana only revitalized the pattern, causing that corrosive aura to flare up. Of course, the magical sigils guided it, but it didn't change the underlying nature.

But that was absurd.

The entire piece of rudium seemed to be nothing but mana... or at least an energy like mana. There was divinity as well, but it was a much more corrosive nature. Even so, it shouldn't be to the extent that it would cause the breakdown of those sigils when they were used...

Not only that, but when I tried reproducing the energy pattern, it fell apart. The 'colors', the 'flow', the 'structure'... I replicated everything in full, but it didn't work. As if something was missing, it fell apart, slipping away into ambient mana again.

But *why*?

If the rudium was just crystallized mana... and even if it wasn't, the fundamentals didn't change.

Everything at its core was energy. Energy turned into mass, and vice versa. From what I experimented with, that held true for mana and even the divine power that the seven deadly sin gods used.

Hell, that was the logic behind the sword I made. A crystallized sword of pure mana made from my skills, and then empowered with the energy from the atomic bomb.

Mana, mass, energy-

I froze and then quickly grabbed my sword. The crystal blade was the same ominous emerald hue, but it responded to my touch and seemed to soften its light.

When it did, I focused on the blade.

Mana. I made the sword with my mana and crystallized it in a form with my will. From then, I drew in energy and laced it inside the blade, swirling it and combining it with my mana into pure energy, a fundamental source of power that was unique to me. While I could pull it back out 'as' mana, what was in the sword was no longer pure mana. Instead, it was more fundamental. Simply 'energy', and something that I could pull out in any form that I want.

I slammed the desk and stood up. "I'm an idiot!"

"J-Jihu?!"

Flone's voice echoed from beside me, but I ignored it.

Will. Intent. Determination. *Those* were the missing ingredients.

Energy wasn't enough. If that was the case, then things would be constantly spontaneously springing into life. But high energy wasn't enough to create sentience.

Wasn't that the case in all of the creation myths?

Everything began with a 'thought.' A 'will.' Even if you put things in the right order, if there isn't a will keeping it in place, it fell apart. Or rather, the 'will' was the glue that kept together illogical things.

My thoughts were all over the place and I couldn't really explain it, but I felt that I was right. An intuition that I felt down to my core.

So...

I grabbed the rudium again and focused.

Once more, I sensed the energy making it up, along with the flow and structure. And once more, I reproduced it. But this time, I focused on more than just copying the form.

Corrosion- No, a domineering energy that refused to bow down to anything else. Something that would oppress and overcome any resistance. An 'intent' of absolute tyranny.

That was what the rudium represented. Or rather, what the base material was.

I didn't know the god that it belonged to, but now that I knew what I was looking for, I could sense that haughty nature. And so...

A flash of light. Violet energy that flooded the entire workshop before rapidly coalescing into my open left hand. And then it was there.

A shimmering violet stone that was different than the actual rudium, but one that had a similar feel.

Judging the two with my senses, I could clearly see the difference. The one I reproduced wasn't quite as domineering as the rudium. Or rather, I didn't have the 'malice' that the rudium's true source possessed. But the result was the same. I was sure of it.

Quickly copying over the magical sigils and then modifying them to prevent decay from the magical overflow... It was finished.

"Heh." I held up the violet stone and grinned. "Is this what Flamel felt like when he made the philosopher's stone?"

A sense of overwhelming accomplishment.

This was it. A tool that Seol didn't possess and one made by my own. An 'ace' that no one but me knew about... and one that could turn the tides.

Now-

Suddenly, an azure flash flooded my field of vision.

At first, I thought it was something going wrong with my reproduced rudium. But it wasn't. Instead, I realized that it was something else. Something I had seen before.

The 'Destiny Severance.'

I saw it.

A fortress overrun with mutant orc parasites. Chohong standing in front of it with an uncertain but resolved expression. A Japanese Archer standing beside her, along with some other individuals. What looked like an Indian or middle-eastern person, a young woman with brown hair.

They charged into the fortress and broke through. A frantic blitzkrieg that managed to get them deep inside. A seeming success.

But it didn't last long.

Hidden enemies sprang up and cut them down. And then at the end of it, Chohong and that woman...

The vision broke and I staggered back, clutching my head. Panic welled up in my heart and I turned towards Flone. "How long have we been here?"

It couldn't have been that long, right?

"Mm?" Flone hummed and then started counting on her fingers. "Um... I think seven days? The sun and moon went up and down that many times, so-"

"Dammit!"

Flone flinched.

I felt a bit guilty at that, but I didn't have the time to dwell on it.

Seven days...?! Was I that involved that I didn't notice...?

"Did Chohong come back at all during that time?"

Flone nodded. "She did. She seemed a bit upset too, but when I asked her about it, she said it wasn't anything to worry about." Flone frowned and said, "Did I... Did I do something bad?"

I let out a deep sigh and ran my hand through my hair. "No. You didn't do anything wrong, Flone."

I told her, didn't I? Just to focus on helping me. I couldn't blame her for not thinking about other things. No, she couldn't have known the situation.

"But I should have known... Damn, there's not much time left."

For the vision to spring up so suddenly meant that there was only a few moments before it was inevitable.

So I didn't have time to waste here.

I tucked my piece of rudium into my pocket and ran off.

"J-Jihu?!"

"I'll be back!"

I ignored Flone's confusion and made my way out of the building, blowing open the doors with my mana as I ran.

As I did, azure light formed a path before me. Responding to my intent, my eyes showed me the source of where I needed to be.

I didn't think about how or where. All I did was run.

People yelled at me as I blurred past, but I ignored them all, just following that startling blue light.

And then I arrived at Luxuria's temple.

I burst through the entrance and quickly scanned the surroundings.

"P-Pardon me?" A priest called out to me and said, "Can I help you?"

I ignored him and focused.

The azure light led towards the back of the temple, the restricted area to the public.

Without hesitation, I ran towards it.

"H-Hey!" The priest tried to get in my way. At the same time, some others moved to stop me.

I distorted the energy waves around me, letting light, sound, and everything else pass through, and suppressed my presence. At the same time, I leapt over them and continued forward.

"W-What the...?!"

The priests were confused, but I didn't have time to care.

Dark and winding corridors, the residential area, the inner depths... and then I reached it. The last room in the depths of the temple.

There, blazing azure light shone, as if screaming at me to act before it came to pass.

I let the energy around me flow as normal and then walked towards the door.

It was slightly ajar, letting me see inside. And there...

A person laying on a sickbed. Bloodstained bandages wrapped completely around their body, making it impossible to tell who the person was, or the gender.

No. That wasn't true. There was one part of the person's body left unbandaged. A miraculously unblemished and delicate left hand lay across the person's chest. Not only that, it was a hand with a familiar ruby ring.

The one that I made and gave to protect a woman I cared about.

My body moved before my thoughts caught up and I kicked the door open. "CLAIRE!"

Movement occurred all around me. Crowds of people turning to stare at me.

"S-Seol?!" A familiar female voice called out to me. Chohong's.

I briefly turned to look at her.

Chohong was haggard and looked like she hadn't slept in days. Dark rings were under her eyes, and her clothes were wrinkled, unkempt. However, she was fully armed and equipped, as if she was about to head out then and there.

I was worried about that, but it seemed like I caught her in time, so I shifted my focus to Claire instead.

I couldn't see her face or her body, but I could tell her wounds from a single glance. Burns, stabs, slashes... her body was a complete mess beneath those bandages.

It was to the extent that anyone would be surprised that she was still alive.

Thankfully, Claire's physique was better than most due to her level, and the ring I gave her was quickly healing her wounds.

Still, I was worried so I moved forward to help out.

And then a man stood up to block me. No one important, just an average suited thug. Standing in front of me, he scowled and said, "Who the hell are you?!"

I didn't bother responding. Instead, I swung my hand, using my energy manipulation to send him flying towards the wall.

His eyes widened and then he slammed into the wall with a loud thud before slumping to the ground.

That got people's attention.

Immediately, I heard weapons being drawn all around me. Shortly after, I felt hostility and killing intent directed towards me.

In response, I let loose my own... Or I planned to. But before that could happen, another voice called out. A female one, gruff but filled with authority. Cinzia's. "Stop."

The man that I sent flying groaned and got up from the ground. He turned towards Cinzia and said, "But Boss-"

"Shut up. He's a guest and the one who saved Agnes's life."

The man froze and then bowed his head.

I turned around towards Cinzia's voice.

The Sicilian boss huffed a cigarette and then held up her hand.

I nodded towards her and then turned my attention back to Claire. Since no one was stopping me now, I walked forward and grabbed her hand, quietly using my restoration ability.

It wouldn't be good to completely heal her, but the more painful injuries keeping her bedridden, and the wounds that would scar...

Claire probably wouldn't mind it, but someone as beautiful as her being scarred like that bothered me. So...

My skill activated and started healing her. But it seemed like she was too exhausted since she didn't react. However, I noticed that her breathing eased up, so I relaxed a little.

At that time, a familiar male voice called out to me. Weary, but still trying to force some cheer. "Quite the... dramatic entrance... there. My dear friend."

I blinked and glanced over to the left. There, Ian was lying on a bed and smiling at me.

He was in bad shape. Better than Claire, but not by much. The left side of his face was burned and scarred while his entire right side was scorched black.

I froze and slowly turned towards him. "Ian...?" My eyes widened and I walked towards him. But then I paused and turned back to look at Claire.

My best friend and then someone dear to me, both heavily wounded. No, barely able to escape with their lives...

I narrowed my eyes and turned towards Cinzia.

[Impending Demise activated]

Against my will, my killing intent activated, responding to my emotions.

But I didn't care.

"What. Happened?"

Cinzia let out a puff of smoke and sighed, tossing her cigarette to the ground.