“How did you know?”
When Aslan asked, the girl crossed her arms and stood askew.
Perhaps because the statement was actually true, the girl wore an uncomfortable expression.
“Because every time you pointed at the air, I felt changes in my body.”
Aslan thought to himself that the protagonist was indeed the protagonist upon hearing this. It would be difficult to connect the action he witnessed with the physical changes occurring to oneself.
After all, if one couldn’t even conceive of such a possibility, the gesture would merely appear as meaningless finger-pointing.
The certainty allowed the girl to doubt Aslan’s actions, and from this doubt, Aslan could read her essence.
A fierce wildness and intuition reminiscent of a wild animal—truly beastly.
Whether it was cultivated from surviving in the slums, innate, or granted due to being the protagonist, Aslan couldn’t be sure.
Still, feeling that sharp instinct, Aslan thought that lying outright would serve no purpose. It would be better to obscure the difficult parts or mix some truth with falsehood.
Having decided on this approach, Aslan began his explanation.
“You might have guessed or sensed it already, but you’ve become stronger, faster, and more resilient.”
When the girl let out a snort through her nose, Aslan extended his finger toward Harrod Crow, who was leaning against a tree nearby.
“Your current strength is now enough to go head-to-head with Harrod Crow in a test of raw power. Though you’d still fall short in technique, your strength should at least match his.”
The girl’s eyes briefly flicked toward the half-man before returning, her wariness noticeably lessened.
“So, the most important thing when dealing with the coming warrior will be your role.”
“…Alright, fine. So what exactly did you do to me?”
Aslan lowered his extended hand and thought. Even if he told her that he had amplified her stats via the system window, there was no way the girl, a resident of Geladridion, would understand.
Thus, Aslan simplified the explanation as much as possible.
“I stimulated your potential with magic. That’s how I brought out and enhanced your strength.”
Since the power of the system window could also appear magical, calling it magic wasn’t entirely false. And since the girl was the protagonist, she naturally possessed latent potential—it wasn’t a lie.
Aslan added another sentence.
“Of course, it wasn’t just about bringing it out. I infused your experiences from fighting trolls in the mine tunnels into your body. Without those experiences, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
This too was not a lie. Leveling up by accumulating experience points was necessary to boost stats.
Even after hearing what was done, Angie didn’t seem to fully understand.
“…What does that mean?”
Clearly, she hadn’t understood at all. Aslan summarized briefly.
“The changes in your body are indeed your own strength. I… just gave it a little push.”
It wasn’t entirely false. The superhuman strength and stats exhibited by the protagonist of Eternal Dominion originated from the power of an ancient deity, but ultimately stemmed from being the protagonist.
Since the girl was the protagonist, the powerful enhancements to her body were undoubtedly her own latent potential.
“So this is my power?”
Angie looked down at her hands while frowning. It was understandable; though changes had occurred within her body, there was no visible difference.
But come to think of it, it wasn’t really strange.
In this world, there existed entities that bestowed immense power without altering outward appearances.
People called them deities, and those chosen by them were called priests.
In a sense, the girl could be considered a priest without a deity.
“To be precise, it’s the power of the ancient gods.”
“…What?”
Angie’s expression turned peculiar. Beyond simply not understanding what Aslan was saying, she appeared bewildered.
The power possessed by the protagonist of Eternal Dominion was the result of absorbing fragments of the ancient gods’ power.
Thus, Aslan’s explanation was factual.
“Exactly as I said. The changes in your body are the result of absorbing the power of the ancient gods.”
Though Angie continued to wear a perplexed expression, Aslan continued speaking.
“That’s why I welcomed you as my ally.”
And he added,
“It’s also why the warriors seek us out. The gods are searching for the power you possess.”
The power of the ancient gods and the protagonist—these two elements were the center and starting point of Eternal Dominion.
As Aslan lowered his gaze, Angie’s expression grew serious.
“You probably never intended to avoid this fight anyway… But even if you had, it wouldn’t have been possible. This fight belongs to you.”
Though Aslan partially held the protagonist’s qualifications and possessed the system window, the system did not recognize him as the protagonist.
The warriors were clearly targeting Angie, not Aslan.
“I promised Harrod Crow freedom. But I can’t offer you such a reward. This isn’t my fight, and you don’t need anything I have.”
As Aslan raised his eyes, Angie wore a strangely tense yet excited expression.
Aslan observed her face and murmured,
“All I can offer you is one thing: a plan to survive.”
“A plan?”
“Yes, if you want to survive, it’s a plan you must follow.”
Angie hesitated for a moment before asking,
“What do you want?”
Effectively agreeing, Aslan smiled easily and explained the plan.
Doubt filled Angie’s expression as she listened, but Aslan made no effort to persuade her. He already knew what the girl would ultimately do.
Aslan stood firm, sensing the massive presence approaching through the forest.
The presence was bold, almost as if intentionally unhidden, and the animals that sensed its approach all fled in terror.
Listening to the sounds of birds covering the sky and the hooves of fleeing deer, Aslan and Harrod Crow awaited the unwelcome visitor in different stances.
“…Ah, so you were here.”
The unwelcome visitor, with a unique appearance, was looking around.
After surveying the area for some time, the visitor turned their gaze to Aslan, revealing their black carapace gleaming between the shadows of the trees.
Standing over 3 meters tall, with six arms and a dark carapace, the figure wielded a spear larger than their body and a square shield big enough to cover them entirely.
Both the spear and shield were solid metal and exuded a vaguely acrid smell of blood.
At the intense, unmistakable scent, Harrod Crow drew his greatsword with evident tension.
Conversely, Aslan rested his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, maintaining a relaxed demeanor.
The collector, seeing this, removed one of the hands gripping their spear and raised it lightly in greeting.
“It’s been a while, Veteran of Combat. Is this the first time since the Sanctuary of Eternal Night?”
At this, Aslan, who had been relaxed, frowned and displayed an unpleasant expression.
“Do we know each other?”
“Indeed, we do. I was there as well.”
Aslan gripped the hilt of the sword he was holding, recalling the scene from memory.
The Sanctuary of Eternal Night.
The secluded place where the last followers of the eternal and nocturnal deity among the ancient gods once resided.
One of the locations for the main quests in the mid-game, now completely destroyed.
It was also a place symbolic of Aslan’s defeat.
The collector seemed to find Aslan’s openly displeased expression amusing, clicking their lower jaw together.
“Honestly, back then, I regretted not capturing you, but seeing the insignificant beings you’ve killed… perhaps it was for the best.”
Between the clicking sounds, the collector spoke.
“With your increased swordsmanship and greater strength… I can only imagine how pleased the Supreme Divinity would be to receive your head as an offering. Missing you back then must have been part of the Supreme Divinity’s guidance.”
Though Aslan’s expression was uncomfortable at the mention of one of his few defeats, he soon turned it into a wry smile and composed himself.
“You didn’t come here just to reminisce about the past, did you?”
Aslan remembered the figure scanning the surroundings immediately after revealing themselves. They were undoubtedly chasing the power of the ancient gods.
However, upon arriving, they couldn’t find the one who possessed that power and seemed to provoke Aslan while trying to uncover more clues.
‘Such pointless behavior.’
Aslan sneered at the attempt, drew his sword, and pulled out an axe. The weapons in both his hands gleamed sharply as he extended his longsword toward the collector.
“You’re obviously after me. So stop wasting time and attack already. I planned to rest comfortably in the village tonight.”
His tone suggested taking him down was inevitable. At this, the collector’s compound eyes glimmered as they tilted their head and adjusted their weapon.
Arrogant, yet reasonably so. The collector believed that if Aslan was truly the Veteran of Combat, he deserved that arrogance.
Therefore, the collector calmly aimed their halberd at Aslan and said,
“Let’s see if you can live up to it.”
Aslan’s piercing gaze met the collector’s as they prepared for battle. A chill ran through the air, causing Harrod to swallow nervously.
The veteran and the martial artist stared each other down before suddenly charging toward one another.
Koo Ooo Oom
The distant roar made Angie flinch and shift her eyes through the bushes.
She could barely see anything. At most, rolling acorns, fallen leaves, and flying birds. However, judging by the direction the birds were flying, she could tell the battle had begun.
Crouched in the bushes, Angie recalled the plan Aslan had mentioned.
“No matter what happens from now on, don’t interfere. Stay hidden in the bushes. Keep some distance.”
“Why? What’s the reason?”
“Don’t ask questions. You absolutely must stay hidden and not be discovered.”
Before Angie could inquire further, Aslan moved on to the next phase of the plan. It was absurd and sounded insane.
Under normal circumstances, rejecting such a plan would have been the right choice.
Yet, the girl couldn’t refuse. It was because of Aslan’s assurance.
“If this plan works, we’ll be able to kill the martial artist without significant losses.”
Whether this was convincing or not was uncertain, but during their brief encounters, Aslan had demonstrated his strategic prowess. In the mine tunnels, battles always unfolded as Aslan predicted, and even before that, almost everything went according to his words.
This itself was persuasive enough that Angie, despite disapproving of the plan, couldn’t act.
Instead, she directed her extremely dissatisfied expression toward the direction of the roaring sound.
Kwa Ahh Ang
The sound of something being crushed and scattered mixed with the tearing of air. Watching the ancient trees of the forest groan, Angie stuck out her lips in frustration.
