On a long-missed crimson plain, Roel stood on Grandar’s shoulder as he watched the sunset and the earth basked in its afterglow.
Be it ancient gods or giants, they were existences to be respected and feared. Had it been in the ancient era, only those of a high race who had been accorded permission could have the honor of standing on the shoulder of a giant. Insignificant existences like humans were only worthy of prostrating on the ground as they waited for the giants to pass them by.
The doubt harbored by Rodney and the other villagers was legitimate. Regardless of which epoch one was in, there was no doubt that humans paled by far in comparison to those monsters who had been ruling the world ever since the ancient era.
If one were to view the progression of transcendents as a benchmark for the development of a civilization, the human race would be in the Iron Age, lagging so far behind the others that they were only chasing after the footsteps of those far ahead in the race.
But, of course, this mattered not to Roel. He was currently a friend who had signed a contract of equals with Grandar, so standing on the latter’s shoulder was not anything to make a fuss about. In fact, it was much more convenient to do so when they were having a conversation.
“Grandar, I’ve been wondering all this while, but I’m really curious as to why we met one another.”
It had been half a month since the last time they met in the Witness State. Roel was delighted to cross paths with his skeletal friend in his dreams once more, and this confirmed his suspicions that the latter could appear in the real world too.
“If my bloodline allows me to slip into the annals of history and witness sights that have already been forgotten by humanity, how did our connection even come to be in the first place? You have already passed away a very long time ago, right?”
Roel stroked his lower jaw contemplatively.
The giants had already completely vanished by Victoria’s era in the Third Epoch, and Grandar himself had also mentioned that he had already passed away for a very long time. Given so, there should be some sort of catalyst that brought them together with one another.
Is it my bloodline ability? But, if that’s the case, what is it about my bloodline ability that has a connection with Grandar? It can’t be through a lottery, can it?
Roel’s question made Grandar fall silent. The latter’s massive skeletal hand rubbed his bald skull, seemingly deep in thought.
“Ever since I died and turned into how I currently am, I have lost many of the memories. I feel like my head has been emptied out,” grumbled Grandar in frustration.
Roel also nodded in agreement after hearing that explanation too.
Emptied out? Of course you feel that way! You don’t have anything left inside that skull head of yours!
While Roel was retorting in his mind, Grandar began to recall what he remembered.
“I have met several who were like you.”
“Like me?”
“Yes. I’m referring to those who were able to enter this plain of eternal sunset.”
Grandar’s memories brought him back to the times when intruders stepped into this plains many years ago.
“I think there were 5 or 6 of them. I can’t remember their appearances, but they were all dressed differently. I doubt they were from the same country.”
“… Ah, I think it’s more likely that they aren’t from the same era at all.”
“Hmm, that’s possible too. My concept of time is blurred.”
Grandar rubbed the crown on his bald head as light flickered in his eyes, sending him on a trip down memory lane.
“They possessed powers very similar to yours. Of them, there was a human girl who was fairly formidable.”
“Fairly formidable?”
Roel was surprised by Grandar’s evaluation. He had witnessed Grandar’s power before, and a person he deemed to be ‘fairly formidable’ was likely to be one of the transcendent powerhouses of her era.
“Wait a moment. If someone that formidable came by to look for you, why didn’t you choose her?”
“Before bothering to listen to my question, she had already begun prattling on about some crisis and emphasized that my help is necessary. But, she isn’t my believer; I have no reason to lend a helping hand to her.”
“I see… Oh? Did you just mention believer? What believer?”
The sudden use of the jargon had Roel turning his head over doubtfully.
In response, Grandar began explaining that similar to how most humans were compatible with the Three Main Origin Attributes, the giant race had an Origin Attribute that was the most compatible with them too—Strength.
The so-called believers referred to the humans who had developed the Strength Origin Attribute after the giants. These humans formed their own religion, and through special rituals that used their transcendent ability as a medium, they could offer their prayers and tributes to existences that were higher up in their Origin Attribute.
In fact, the reason why most transcendents created and joined a religion was to communicate with higher beings of their Origin Attribute. From time to time, some of these prayers and tributes would still reach Grandar, which went to show that there were still groups using the Strength Origin Attribute out in the world.
“I see. Are you able to sense them now that you’re freed from your restraints here?”
“I can. If I wanted to, I could enslave them too. However, they are just a bunch of weak lads, so they won’t be of much use.”
“I see.”
Roel nodded to himself. When he heard Grandar referring to his believers as ‘a bunch of weak lads’, he subconsciously bypassed the matter and didn’t think too deeply into it. Meanwhile, after sidetracking from the topic, Grandar quickly pulled back to what he was speaking about earlier.
“As for why we came to meet one another, that girl did mention it. It seems like an ancient contract exists between us.”
“An ancient contract?”
“It’s a contract of mutual interest. You are able to tap into our power, and we’d be able to return back to that world through you. However, it would appear that the invocation of the contract requires a medium. That girl had a ring I wore back in the days, but it doesn’t look like you have anything on you. I’m also not too sure how you managed to come here.”
“Ah, I get it now.”
Roel clapped his hands in realization after hearing Grandar’s explanation.
Wasn’t this basically the same as summoning a heroic spirit in a certain franchise back in his previous world? Those who wanted to summon a particular heroic spirit would have to flip through the grave of the person they wanted and search for a personal artifact of their target. Otherwise, it would be a crapshoot, and the heroic spirit that was the most compatible with yourself would be summoned instead.
Looking at it from this perspective, could the reason why I stumbled upon Grandar be due to our similar personalities? So, I managed to get a SSR despite drawing on random?
“Speaking of which, I managed to reach Origin Level 5 recently, so my strength increased by a fair bit compared to before. If we were to fight together once more, how many punches will you be able to deal out?”
Roel looked at Grandar hopefully. The latter’s strength was indeed incredible, allowing him to pull off the impossible and defeat the Origin Level 2 Wade, but the price of that was his incapacitation. It took an entire week before he managed to recover back to full health.
Typically speaking, since he had made such a major advancement in his strength, his ability to bear Grandar’s powers should be significantly greater than before. At the very least, he should be able to hurl out more punches than before.
Unexpectedly, Grandar fell silent. He glanced at Roel hesitantly, seemingly unsure of how he should phrase it in words. It took a long time before he finally squeezed out a response.
“You’ll be able to communicate with me without having to enter this world from now onward. That will be convenient, don’t you think so? Hahaha…”
Alright alright, I get it. You beating around the bush only makes it even more painful for me…
Grandar’s incredibly unnatural manner of changing the topic made Roel realize that he still had a long way to go. The two of them continued chatting for a little longer before the slightly exhausted Roel took his leave and went into real sleep.
Each transcendent in this world had his own way of growing, but one commonality that all transcendents shared was the classification of strength—Origin Level.
Transcendents had a different way of growing after reaching Origin Level 5 and obtaining an Origin Attribute. In the past, Roel relied on training his own body in order to create an optimal condition for the natural development of his transcendent ability. However, things were slightly different now that he had obtained an Origin Attribute. There was more that he could do now to hasten the growth of his powers.
So, how does an Origin Level 5 transcendent grow their transcendent ability then?
The answer lies in understanding their Origin Attribute and acting in a way that complements it. Take Brolne’s Wisdom for example, the common understanding most people had of it was the pursuit of knowledge. So, those who took on the Wisdom Origin Attribute studied hard in order to elevate their knowledge. In other words, it was not that scholars tended to choose the Wisdom Origin Attribute, but those that had chosen the Wisdom Origin Attribute tended to become scholars.
The same went for the Saint Mesit Theocracy’s Compassion too. The common understanding of it was being affable and willing to help those in need, so the Theocracy had plenty of good people. Doing good deeds was no longer an act of altruism but something that could bring about definite rewards to the doer.
Similar principles applied to Pendor’s Courage too. It was not that the Knight Kingdom’s bunch of metal cans only knew how to brainlessly charge ahead, but those who continued to cower after choosing Courage were doomed to never be able to rise through the ranks.
Thinking about it, Roel felt that the Three Main Origin Attributes of humankind were each like a positive feedback loop. If you studied hard, carried yourself virtuously, and didn’t fear death, you’ll definitely become strong and reach greater heights. This, in a sense, affirmed the characters of those who were able to climb to a greater height, thus ensuring the development and prosperity of human civilization.
He felt that it was a good thing that humankind chose to promote the Three Main Origin Attributes over the others, but it was a pity that he fit into none of the three.
Crown.
That was the name of the Origin Attribute that his bloodline had granted him.
Roel’s first reaction to it was confusion. For a moment there, he thought that he could see the universe revolving around him. Be it Compassion, Wisdom, or Courage, these terms were easy to comprehend—be a good person, go and study, and don’t be scared of death.
But, what about Crown then? What did Crown signify? Was he to rush to the royal palace and steal Holy Eminence John’s crown? If that was the case, wouldn’t that mean that he would have to go around the continent stealing the crowns of every single king? That was the road of a tyrant!
Roel was utterly bewildered. Putting aside that these ideas were ludicrous, he didn’t have the strength to realize them either. Not that he was interested in becoming a king in the first place.
Fortunately, Roel was not completely without a clue. According to history, he had two ancestors who had awakened to the bloodline too—Ro Ascart and Winstor Ascart. Given so, there was a good chance that they could have received their Bloodline Origin Attribute as well, making their deeds a clue that he could reference too.
So, he headed to the archive in the Labyrinth Villa and began looking through the records of those two ancestors of his.
I just hope that it’s not something weird…
Roel clasped his hands together as he prayed silently.
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