Chapter 130

Luna thought it seemed like a lot was happening since starting at the Academy.

At the beginning of her enrollment, she met Sivar, who lived like a wild man, and after that, all sorts of events unfolded, including encounters with demons.

She wished she could live like an ordinary student, but with demons involved, that was out of the question. For now, her only option was to get stronger.

‘Did he really… split the sky?’

It was during the weekends that she was painstakingly strengthening herself.

Today, Luna witnessed the peak of strength with her own eyes. A mere human had split the sky apart.

It wasn’t even a phrase you’d find in a novel or poem. As Rize launched a punch toward the sky, it ripped in two.

From ancient times, the sky has symbolized the divine and was a realm the mortals yearned for. It was something that diverged from simply breaking or slicing through space.

“How long do we have to wait to recover?”

“If you rest properly for a week, you should be fine. For now, since Gulrak has responded, let’s check the results.”

The one who had just split the sky looked entirely unfazed.

Her chest, which had been as ample as Eli’s, had diminished, but that was still better than actually splitting the sky.

‘Wait, that’s strange too.’

Luna stared intently at Rize’s chest. It was undeniably a sight worthy of being called a cliff.

It even made her feel more endowed by comparison. Of course, to be fair, she wasn’t exactly small herself.

It was just that everyone around her was so big that she appeared small in comparison; she wasn’t tiny by any means. Really.

‘What kind of person is Chaos, anyway…?’

She never imagined her chest would literally be a ‘pocket.’ But ironically, it was exceedingly chaotic.

Luna shook her head, feeling that all common sense was shattering.

Thinking too much made her head spin. She might as well just embrace the absurdity.

“It seems like it’s all over. Should we head out?”

“…Yeah, let’s do that.”

Nodding at Eli’s suggestion, Luna moved her feet.

Surprisingly, the altar, where lightning had rained down, looked intact.

“Saint, is this how you looked back in the day?”

“If it’s before receiving a blessing from Chaos, then yes.”

“So it really did serve like a pocket. Fascinating.”

“As I grow, it grows too. For the time being, I think I’ll be comfortable.”

While Luna approached Sivar, who was chatting with Kara, she couldn’t take her eyes off Rize.

Beside Sivar was Kara, and they were intently staring at something.

“Sister, isn’t it all over now?”

“Huh? Oh, you’re here.”

Even while greeting Kara, Luna couldn’t help but let her gaze drift downward.

Despite being a woman, her outfit naturally drew the eye. Especially that solid six-pack abs, which was oddly enticing.

She had been working hard under Rize but couldn’t seem to build much muscle. Her abs were practically invisible.

In that sense, Kara’s figure was Luna’s ideal. Of course, Rize was a bit excessive, but that’s beside the point.

“Ragnarok has been fully repaired. But I’m wondering if this is really okay.”

“What changed?”

“It’s too different, that’s the problem. Want to take a look?”

Luna tore her gaze from Kara and looked at the altar.

On the altar was the repaired Ragnarok, just as Kara had mentioned, but it looked a bit off.

“Wait, the color…?”

Originally, Ragnarok was an axe in shades of black. Though its edge was somewhat dull.

It was primarily a sacrificial axe, equipped with a hammer part specialized for “breaking.”

“The color’s a bit unusual, isn’t it? It seems to have merged with Usuk’s axe.”

However, the repaired Ragnarok had changed from before. Firstly, the axe blade had turned white.

It looked like the dangerous part had been painted separately. Just looking at it, it seemed like it could cut.

The hammer part was the same as well. It was painted a glaring white, like a blade.

“My Usuk…”

“Don’t be too disappointed. After all, you’re the only one who’ll use it for now, right? Just be grateful that Gulrak repaired it. Anything beyond that is greed.”

As Kara consoled a disappointed Sivar, Luna continued to examine Ragnarok.

With the addition of white on what was once pure black, it had a cooler appearance.

Plus, it had grown in size. Perhaps because two axes had merged, it was closer to a battle axe.

Though it couldn’t be called a battle axe as the handle was a bit short. It was a size that screamed versatility.

Above all, merging it with Usuk’s axe could only mean it had improved rather than regressed.

‘Could it be filled with the Saint’s divine power?’

Rize’s divine power was equivalent to Chaos’s will, so perhaps that’s why the axe merged into one.

Luna stared at Ragnarok for a while, then focused her eyes to verify its precise capabilities.

[Chaos Ragnarok: SS+]

[Axe reborn through the collaboration of chaos and destruction.]

[Originally a sacrificial axe, Ragnarok has gained a new form infused with chaos. Its blade will cut anything, and its hammer will destroy everything.]

[Special Effect: Thunder]

[Those who wield thunder, as well as those who do not, can wield thunder. However, those unqualified will suffer from the thunder.]

“··· ···”

It’s overpowered. Ridiculously overpowered, in fact.

That was Luna’s assessment after confirming the effects of the reborn Ragnarok.

Originally, Ragnarok was rated as SS. With Gulrak’s blessing, it could be fairly called mythic-level.

But this newly born axe was rated SS+. You might think a mere plus one is nothing, but that’s a misconception.

It’s akin to one whole tier up. It was already an incredible weapon, and now it’s upgraded by an additional tier, so there’s no need for further discussion.

‘It was already vicious, and now it’s been enhanced? I thought it was a joke, but it’s real?’

Ragnarok wouldn’t properly display its power unless one was a follower of Gulrak.

But this was a different story. Just reading the description, it seemed like even those who weren’t Gulrak’s followers could wield thunder.

If Sivar, Kara, or Hector used it? Unless it was Rize or Rod, there would be no stopping them.

‘I want one of these too.’

Being destined to be a sword master, she wasn’t particularly drawn to axes. But the appearance alone, not to mention the performance, was superior.

It could easily be a weapon that belongs in mythology. Moving forward, Sivar would wield something like this.

A warrior, adorned with lightning, rampaging across the battlefield. Just imagining it was thrilling.

“Let’s check the performance first. Call Ragnarok.”

“Okay.”

*Clap!*

While Luna was lost in her thoughts, Sivar was already testing its capabilities. Starting with the most basic collection ability.

Thankfully, it seemed the engravings had been restored, allowing for a very easy collection. This alone was sufficient for the test.

“How’s the weight? Is it much heavier?”

“A bit.”

“Hmm… Luna, you try holding it. Sivar’s strong, so he might not really notice.”

After Kara handed Ragnarok over to Sivar, she extended it to Luna.

The moment Luna accepted it, the keyword ‘qualification’ from the description popped into her mind, but she received it anyway.

Crackle!

“Ouch!”

As soon as Luna touched the axe, a strange phenomenon occurred. A faint spark surged from Ragnarok upon touching her hand.

Everyone present, including Luna, was startled by this unexpected situation.

This had never happened before, so something felt off.

“Ugh… Why is there suddenly lightning…?”

“What’s going on? Want to touch it again?”

“Uh, well, just a moment…”

*Crackle!!*

When Luna tried to touch it again, a stronger bolt of lightning erupted. Fortunately, this time it jumped away just before she touched it.

Luna recoiled, shocked by the phenomenon that seemed to reject her touch.

However, Kara, who was actually holding Ragnarok, appeared entirely unfazed.

“This is strange. Why is this happening? It was supposed to be something anyone could touch.”

“Ugh… Could it be because of Chaos’s power?”

Still tingling in her fingers, Luna offered her thoughts. It didn’t make sense otherwise.

Perhaps Kara found some merit in her idea, as she nodded before turning her gaze away.

Her gaze settled on Rize, who was still chatting with Eli.

“Saint, I have a quick request. Is that alright?”

“Huh? What’s the matter?”

“It seems Ragnarok has become strange. When Luna tried to touch it, lightning erupted. It wasn’t like this before.”

“Oh. Is that what it is?”

Rize spoke as if she understood and walked over to Kara, naturally taking over Ragnarok.

Unlike Luna, no lightning interrupted Rize as she took hold. In fact, it seemed rather obedient.

“It’s simple. It exudes the will of chaos. Those who are unqualified will find even holding it difficult.”

“What does chaos have to do with qualification?”

“I don’t know either. If Chaos says so, then that’s how it is.”

“··· ···”

Kara had a puzzled expression. It was a rather irresponsible statement, but one that could be overlooked given the nature of Chaos.

Anyway, there was no chance of Ragnarok being stolen by anyone. That was quite a merit.

But not all questions were answered yet. Eli, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.

“So, what kind of qualification do you need to hold this?”

“Simple. You just have to be favored by Gulrak or Chaos. Since it’s qualification rather than talent, the lack of power won’t matter.”

In other words, it meant Luna didn’t have the favor of the two gods. Upon realizing that, Luna pouted in annoyance.

But what could she do? Kara had been making offerings to Gulrak from way back, and Sivar had been directly chosen by Chaos.

She wished she could work hard, but the conditions didn’t allow it. The fact that Kara made offerings weekly was commendable.

‘Chaos is probably out of the question for me.’

Unlike other gods, Chaos required a ‘selection.’ For reference, they did not consider the will of mortals.

But it would be far better to devote herself to Gaia or Gulrak than to leave it to such uncertainty. The process just took too long.

‘And there’s no need to be greedy, right?’

In the first place, she had already been somewhat greedy. There’s a saying that grasshoppers must eat pine needles to survive.

Just giving up peacefully wasn’t a bad idea. When the time came, she’d be able to lift it.

“Oh, I just thought of something good.”

Then, while Rize was explaining, Sivar spoke up. Everyone’s attention turned to him, intrigued by the claim of a good idea.

At last, he took Ragnarok and headed downhill. Since they had done all they needed to, everyone followed him.

“Go on ahead. I’ll stay and clean up and change clothes.”

Kara, dressed in her dancer’s outfit, remained behind to change and clean up.

Meanwhile, those following Sivar arrived at a very familiar location.

“Sivar, do you have an appointment with the headmaster?”

“Yeah.”

“··· ···”

Sivar’s feet brought them to none other than the building where Rod resided. The place where Sivar used to live.

As she watched Sivar head towards the building, Luna felt an inexplicable sense of unease. It strongly felt like something bad was about to happen.

‘In any case, it’s not me getting scolded, it’s Sivar…’

She figured she might as well see what he was up to. With a snicker in her mind, she followed behind.

After knocking on the door of Rod’s residence, a familiar voice responded.

[Come in.]

As soon as the voice was heard, Sivar opened the door wide without hesitation. The others followed him inside.

At just that moment, Rod was leisurely reading a book. As usual, he had his favorite tea brewed nearby.

“So what’s going on? I heard the sky split in two just now.”

“That energy was my doing, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Ah, so it was you? That’s a relief. It saves me the trouble of checking.”

It seemed Rod had witnessed the sky splitting too. After all, it would be odd not to notice such a commotion.

If this went on, there would be great turmoil at the Academy, but if he explained well, it would be fine. Recently, a variety of incidents had unfolded, so this was merely a drop in the bucket.

“Rod. This.”

“Huh? Why is Ragnarok… no, it looks drastically different? The energy seems unusual too.”

As Sivar presented Ragnarok, Rod displayed a puzzled response.

It was no wonder; Rod had not been informed about Ragnarok’s damage.

Thus, he instantly noticed its changed appearance. Of course, he had no idea about the events that had transpired.

“Try holding it. No, just grab it.”

“··· ···”

So that was it. Luna chuckled, realizing Sivar’s sneaky(?) intent.

Rod wasn’t a follower of Chaos nor a believer of Gulrak. It hinted at a high probability of lacking qualification.

That meant Sivar was planning to hand Ragnarok over just to mess with Rod.

‘What is he, a child or something?’

It was hard to tell if this was a joke or serious. But one thing was clear.

There must be a reason why Sivar had been chosen by Chaos. Considering he had lived in the wilderness, it made sense.

While Luna was having those thoughts, Rod accepted Sivar’s suggestion without hesitation but with a puzzled expression.

*Crackle!*

As predicted, the moment Rod gripped the handle, weak sparks flew. Luna flinched at the sight.

Even sparks could be quite painful, as she knew from her own experience.

“Hmm?”

*Crackle! Crackle!*

But Rod only revealed curiosity; he held the handle firmly even as sparks flew continuously.

Seeing that, Luna and even Sivar were quite taken aback. It seemed he hadn’t expected him to grab it by sheer force.

Meanwhile, sparks started erupting fiercely from the axe handle that Rod was gripping. It had gone beyond mere sparks.

If it continued like this, Rod’s hand could get seriously burned. Just as Sivar realized this and hurriedly tried to pull it back…

“Ah!”

*Crack!*

Rod exerted force with his hand, and something strange happened.

The sparks, which had been fiercely resisting a moment ago, suddenly vanished.

It was as if the axe willingly ‘submitted’ to Rod’s grasp, who had proven himself qualified.

“Fascinating. Is there a will within the weapon? It seems like an explanation is in order.”

“H-How…?”

“How did you do it?”

As Sivar asked, Rod chuckled dismissively and replied.

“Anything in my hands can be treated as a sword. And I’ve defeated countless swords throughout my life.”

“··· ···”

In other words, it could be rephrased like this.

“Weren’t you the one who made a sword out of a twig last time? It’s a similar principle.”

So, does that mean the sword saint is looking down on me?

‘Yeah, let’s give up on this weapon.’

Watching this, Luna felt she could let go of her greed.

---