noveldrama
Chapter 196
Chapter 196
The God of Causality is one of the oldest deities among the Pantheon.
A being of near-divine rank.
For such an entity to personally manage the system was undoubtedly an incredible blessing.
“This is so much fun! I’m so glad I came here to play! Ahahaha!”
Ashin, even among the Outer Gods, was a nuisance at times.
When else would there be a chance to witness something like this?
And at the same time, Ashin felt certain.
Though the reason was unclear, the God of Causality seemed to favor that human immensely.
The treatment was undeniably different compared to the other Chosen Ones that had appeared so far.
Which only meant one thing:
"Wouldn’t that make them taste even better? Slurp!"
Few things in life are as delightful as playing and enjoying a good meal.
At this moment, Ashin’s avatar made a clear decision.
If today’s main course was the Guardian, then dessert would undoubtedly be the human!
Drip, drip...
“Hurry up. I can’t wait to eat.”
Slurp, chomp!
Saliva dripped from Ashin’s mouth, trailing down his face and splattering onto the ground.
Ashin licked his forehead with his crimson tongue, grinning broadly.
The thought alone was exhilarating.
[The Administrator expresses displeasure.]
[Current stage: Level 6.]
Clang, clang, clang!
Even more chains than before erupted, wrapping tightly around Ashin.
They now resembled a cocoon, leaving hardly any gaps.
“This makes running around too difficult!”
[The Administrator glares, intent on grinding you into pulp rather than allowing you to move around.]
“Oh, I see! This is a new game, isn’t it? Adding new rules because plain tag would be too boring?”
[The Administrator furrows their brow.]
“Ahahaha! If that’s the case, you should’ve told me sooner! Sorry about that—I must’ve been too dumb to understand. I’ll make sure to have even more fun now!”
Huuuuuuuup!
Ashin opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply.
A fierce gale swept through the forest, and all the surrounding air was sucked into his stomach.
Rumble, rumble!
[The Administrator’s eyes widen at the new disaster!]
The ground turned upside down.
Trees were uprooted and shattered, while boulders floated into the air, crumbling into sand.
Crunch, crackle!
Each time something slammed into Ashin’s stomach, it swelled grotesquely.
[The Administrator struggles to maintain the binding.]
The chains grew taut, straining to hold together.
But—
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The chains broke one after another in quick succession.
And then—
Boom!
Ashin’s body expanded explosively.
Guooooooh—!
Though his face remained vaguely human, his body ballooned over a hundred meters in size, grotesque and monstrous.
It looked like a massive lump of flesh, adorned with hundreds or thousands of human faces plastered onto its surface.
[The Admin?strator's system ?rupt?ons dete?ated. ???? ???????? ??????????????.]
[SYSTEM ERROR]
The fragments of the shattered chains were sucked into Ashin’s stomach, and the system messages quickly degenerated into static.
“Damn it!”
Lodbrok, who had been using magic to withstand the powerful winds, now had urgency written all over his face.
Thanks to the God of Causality, they’d managed to catch a brief reprieve, but who could’ve guessed that Ashin would awaken?
This was now truly dangerous. Should he take the risk and manifest his true body?
Up until now, he’d adhered to the use of the sword due to the "weakness" inherent in the Outer Gods.
But with things as they were, revealing his true form might be the only option.
"If I’m devoured by that thing here, my real body in the physical world will fall into the hands of an Outer God. In that case, I might as well aim for the binding..."
Even dealing with the Nameless Sovereign as a guardian of the world was an uphill battle. Adding Ashin to the mix was unthinkable.
And so, Lodbrok made a decision to use the barely-healed heart once more.
If it came at the cost of that heart, sealing Ashin within the Dragon Fang Blade would still be possible.
"But what about Theo...?"
The real issue was Theo.
How much time had passed since he’d told him to hurry? Yet, he was still stalling.
Could it be that Theo hadn’t yet figured out a way to escape the quest?
Lodbrok was about to turn and check when—
?Loddy, hold him off for a moment.?
Theo’s telepathic voice made Lodbrok’s eyes widen.
What was he planning?
He almost told Theo that nothing he tried would work against that monster but quickly bit his tongue.
Bwooooom!
The collapsing forest sky turned radiant.
A sun was forming.
The Dragon Orb Sun.
It was a technique well-known to Lodbrok, a secret art of an ancient Patriarch, now passed on to Theo.
But that wasn’t all.
Zzzzzzzzzt!
Right beside the sun, a moon began to take shape.
***
"Let’s start with the Dragon Orb Sun."
Theo summoned every ounce of his mana, anchoring the sun in the sky.
The spinning orb began to accelerate, condensing mana as it unleashed a torrent of searing thunderous heat.
"Next... the moon."
Extending his left hand in the opposite direction, Theo recalled a vision that had been deeply etched into his mind after witnessing Odo perform it once:
The Black Ice Jade Moon.
A black sphere began to form, radiating an intense chill.
Each rotation sent shards of ice scattering in every direction.
However, Theo didn’t pour his mana into the moon.
After all, maintaining the sun alone consumed an immense amount of mana.
Instead, the moon drew upon Nessie’s power entirely.
?Chosen One, thank you.?
Nessie, aware that her life was nearing its end, hoped her remaining existence would help defeat Ashin.
?Although I regret that I could not serve you properly, I am glad to be of use in this way. It brings me joy to have met you in my final moments and to know that my master’s heir exists.?
With those words, Nessie quietly closed her eyes.
At the moment of her final breath—
Shhhh...
Her body crumbled into fine particles, which were drawn into the moon.
Her death became the key to completing it.
[Guardian Nessie has recognized you as her new master.]
[Partial success of the quest achieved. You have gained limited authority over this region. Stabilizing volatile mana.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[The quest is not yet fully complete. Continue your mission.]
Theo opened his status window.
[Observing ‘Theo Ragnar.’]
Theo Ragnar (Age: 16 / Male)
- Titles: Dragon Incarnate, Millennium’s Greatest Genius, Night Yacha, Yacha Star.
- Talents: Ragnar Bloodline, Player, Observation, Inventory, Shop Access, Guardian Dragon’s Companion, Balmose Style, Spirit Dragon, Heir of Kriemhild, Dragonborn (??), [Restricted].
- Status: On the brink of awakening a new skill. In a state of intense focus due to anger. Risk of status abnormalities—proceed with caution.
- Level: 62
- Stats (?):
- Strength: 131
- Agility: 111
- Vitality: 105
- Mana: 243
- Intelligence: 114
- Luck: 50
- Bonus Stats: 75
- Skills (?):
- [Restricted]
Theo had gained a remarkable 15 levels through numerous battles.
Yet, he’d refrained from spending his bonus stats, knowing his physical capabilities were already sufficient and saving them for a critical moment.
And now, Theo deemed this the right time.
[Special Ability ‘Vitality Amplification’ activated. Vital energy surges through your body.]
Shudder...
His trembling body, burdened by simultaneously controlling the sun and the moon, began to stabilize.
[Vitality Amplification]
- Type: Special Ability.
- Effect: Rapidly restores depleted stamina. Explosive stamina boost after 10+ minutes of heightened focus.
The regeneration ability imbued Theo’s body with immense restorative power, reinforcing his concentration.
And then—
[Investing 50 bonus stats into Luck.]
[Luck: 50 ? 100.]
His Luck stat, already growing swiftly due to his rising fame, now exceeded the triple-digit threshold.
[Luck coefficient surpasses 100.]
[A hidden feature has been unlocked. All actions you perform are now imbued with a protective charm that repels misfortune.]
[Charm of Fortune]
- Type: Special Ability.
- Effect: Repels bad luck. Blesses actions with protection, dispelling malevolent forces.
[All stats have surpassed 100.]
[Your body undergoes a new transformation, fortifying your mental resilience.]
[Your mana is now imbued with the attributes of Exorcism and Evil-Banishment.]
[You have gained exceptional resistance to curses and madness.]
Exorcism and Evil-Banishment.
Theo briefly considered that these powers might be the true weapon of an awakened Chosen One, meant to confront Outer Gods and their lackeys.
<Nirvana>
Theo gathered his focus, stabilizing both the sun and the moon under his control.
He could now clearly sense the sun’s immense heat and the moon’s bone-chilling cold.
"Ashin!!"
Returning to his physical form, Theo acknowledged Lodbrok, who was still engaging Ashin, and then turned his attention to the monstrous being.
Ashin had grown so massive that even the stratosphere couldn’t contain him.
Roll...
Ashin’s grotesque eyes all swiveled simultaneously to lock onto Theo.
"You said you wanted to play, didn’t you?"
The monstrous eyes widened, their gleaming brightness grotesque and unsettling.
"Then let’s play ball! Here, take this!"
Theo brought his outstretched arms together.
The sun and moon converged, colliding at the center.
"Fooood!"
Mad with hunger and the prospect of a “game,” Ashin threw his enormous body forward, jaws wide open, and swallowed them whole.
Gulp!
"Delicious!"
BOOOOOOM!
Rumble... Crash! Boom! Crash!
The Dragon Orb Sun and Black Ice Jade Moon—energies that could never naturally mix—erupted in a massive explosion.
The blast obliterated Ashin’s head entirely and tore apart his stomach and abdomen.
Shattered flesh flew in all directions, and torrents of fluid and blood rained down.
The overwhelming heatwave swept across the remains of the forest, reducing it to ash.
The sheer magnitude of the explosion was astonishing.
[The damaged system partially recovers.]
[The Administrator stares at the ruined world, mouth agape.]
[The Administrator watches the fireworks in awe, drooling as saliva drips onto the ground.]