To the priest of the Predator, self-awareness is barely allowed.
If it were permitted, it was part of “mission execution.”
The forest guardian who encountered Aslan was like this, and so was the chimera before it went berserk.
For the Predator, the self was nothing more than a tool. So if the self truly awakened, it was one of two things.
Either the high priest was granted autonomous action, or an unintended situation arose for the Predator.
The chimera was the latter.
The chimera’s self was a self that the Predator had no intention of awakening.
The reason for its awakening was indeed unique.
Paradoxically, it happened as it came into contact with death.
Nine years ago, the chimera encountered Aslan.
She began combat to kill and devour the hero as usual, and at the end of the battle, she met her death.
More precisely, she was on the verge of dying.
Her core was pierced by Aslan’s blade.
A core that maintains life support, resists laws, stores divine power, and serves as fuel to move the body.
The destruction of the core was equivalent to death for the priest of the Predator.
It should have been even more so for the chimera, who possessed an especially gigantic body… However, as the core was destroyed and the soul flowed out, the chimera began to awaken her self.
The lock on the self that the Predator had set was the first to be destroyed during the self-destruction caused by the core’s damage.
As the chimera regained her self, she became fixated on the first scenery she saw.
Much like how a newborn regards the first being it sees as its parent.
What she saw was Aslan.
More precisely, the truth about Aslan.
In the process of the soul flowing away, gradually being pulled by the essence of the Predator, the chimera saw some immense being.
Overwhelming in size yet infinitely small, an enormous presence spread everywhere.
The true creator of this world.
Everything in this universe was something artificial created and born from the hands of that being.
With the exception of one person only.
Aslan.
The uncreated being.
A being that appeared as if spontaneously generated.
This world existed as a trap for that being.
Obsessed with this fact, the chimera envied.
The chimera wanted to possess that uniqueness.
Unaware that this hunger arose after losing everything, she blindly obsessed.
To achieve this obsession, she consumed souls indiscriminately to sustain her body.
Even without the support and connection from the Predator, she persisted stubbornly.
In order to one day consume and steal Aslan’s uniqueness.
Ultimately, she failed.
The chimera’s soul faded like an ember. Slowly, like a flame going out.
No one knew the details.
Not even Aslan, who stood watching her up close.
The pitiful form collapsed after losing her head, heart, and being shattered under Phey’s blade.
Aslan glimpsed a human within and moved her lips faintly with a peculiar feeling.
Because whatever she said wouldn’t reach.
Why she had been fixated on herself, why she called out Aslan’s name until the very end…
Aslan couldn’t even guess.
[Completed Main Quest]
[Hunt the High Priest Chimera to Protect the Elf Land]
She sighed only after seeing the system window indicating it was all over.
“Are you all okay?”
Turning her head late to ask, Richard brushed off his right hand and shrugged, showing signs of enduring pain as he furrowed his eyes.
“My hands are slightly roasted, but I’ll recover quickly at this level.”
Or we could find a restoration school mage or something.
His casual words revealed the clear influence of aristocratic living.
So Aslan quickly turned her attention away from Richard and looked at the other companions one by one.
“I’m fine. Except I’ve been lonely since Aslan hasn’t held me for a while…”
“Seems like you’re okay. You did well.”
“Yeah.”
Ereta smiled brightly, pleased by the compliment.
Her soft expression as she placed her hand on her chest showed no signs of injury.
Even if there were any, they would have healed quickly.
Next, her gaze fell upon Lumel, Angie, and Phey.
First, she looked at Lumel, causing everyone’s eyes to momentarily focus on him.
Lumel was holding his head, and when the attention shifted to him, he seemed startled.
“Ah, I’m fine. It’s just… my head hurts a little…”
Headache. There was only one plausible explanation since there hadn’t been any notable attacks.
“Probably a concussion. You took a shockwave earlier. Sit down and rest for now.”
Smiling gently, Lumel fiddled with his braided hair, looking somewhat disappointed, while Angie stared at him silently before following the sensed gaze and turning her head.
And for a moment, confusion flickered in her golden eyes.
“Uh, me too?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh, asking me won’t help… I just get better by existing, same with this guy.”
“Not ‘this guy,’ it’s Phey. You fool, your body may grow, but your intelligence doesn’t.”
Just moments ago, the hatred in Phey’s eyes as she cut off the chimera’s neck seemed forgotten as she teased Angie nonchalantly.
“Of course, I’m not a mage, but everyone seems fine to me. The only worry I see is them and that thing over there.”
Angie casually ignored Phey’s comment and continued.
Whether it was due to her grown body giving her more confidence or a side effect of rapid growth, it wasn’t clear.
Phey, whose words were ignored, pouted her lips and kicked Angie’s shin with her foot.
Angie chuckled and engaged in footplay with Phey, while Aslan, having fully understood what Angie wanted to say, let their bickering go and turned her head.
Where Angie had nodded toward were elves, and where she had gestured subtly with her eyes was a hole in the sky.
The softly falling snow.
Aslan lifted her head and then noticed the elves approaching cautiously from behind.
Indeed, if there was anything to worry about, it was the exposure of this space and the elves themselves.
Had Aslan been completely unaware of the game’s progression, perhaps the concern might have lingered longer.
But as long as the remnants of nature and creation remained strong, there wasn’t much to worry about. When she raised her head, she saw the hole in the sky gradually closing with the warm breeze blowing.
“Don’t worry. Nature and Creation are powerful deities. If left alone, it will likely heal. If we leave immediately, the elf land won’t be discovered.”
Elf land is a place that cannot be entered without the presence of elves.
The chimera was able to invade only because Aslan’s party had entered.
The sooner Aslan’s group leaves, the less likely it is to be discovered. Thus, there was nothing to worry about. The only remaining concern was…
‘Chimera.’
More specifically, the item dropped by the chimera.
Glancing at the chimera, it looked quite different from its original appearance.
Originally, in the game, the chimera was an enemy that dropped a unique item.
An armor that grants a bonus of 8 points to strength and health based on the total amount of mana that can be equipped.
However, now it had traded size for the ability to emit plasma, making it impossible to predict what kind of item would drop.
The extent of the damage was also a problem. Thanks to Phey’s participation, the fight ended easily, but almost all parts of the chimera’s body had been worn down to mere scraps.
The core that emitted plasma was gone, the heavy armor that handled plasma had fallen off, and the nozzle used as a flight device was damaged.
It was unclear whether there was anything salvageable amidst all this.
“Lesser than the crazy guy we fought before, but still a decent fight. It’s shocking that this old man didn’t inquire about my well-being, but I’m fin―”
Perhaps feeling left out, Tiamat started talking incessantly, but Aslan ignored her and approached the chimera’s corpse.
At a glance, there was clearly nothing worth salvaging.
The visual module had stopped functioning, and the chest area pierced through showed the entire drive unit connected to the core torn apart.
The combustion device connected to the core seemed intact, and the heavy armor lying on the ground wasn’t in bad condition either, but its use was unclear, leaving Aslan with an odd expression.
‘How exactly am I supposed to use this…’
Its defense capability was low enough to be damaged by a simple iron mace thrown by Tiamat, so its utility as armor wasn’t great.
Still, some vague intuition urged her to touch it, thinking something might change. Despite her hesitation, Aslan followed her instinct and absentmindedly placed her hand on it.
“Ugh?!”
Frowning, she felt an electric current creep up her hand unconsciously placed on the Dragon King’s hand.
“Aslan?!”
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Concerned voices from her startled companions as they rushed closer. Ignoring those sounds, a mechanical voice echoed in Aslan’s mind.
[Top-tier Operator: Dragon King]
[Operator access confirmed.]
It was a mechanical voice similar to the Predator’s.
Before Aslan could verify its authenticity, she felt her mana flow uncontrollably from the Dragon King’s hand, covering the chimera’s entire body.
‘What… is happening?’
Confused, Aslan quickly seized control of her mana. At the peak of superhuman abilities, her mana tried to cut off the flow under her control.
[Additional mission execution impossible. Switching to alternative plan. Transfer primary armament of this operator to Top-tier Operator: Dragon King.]
[Please specify desired armament: ___]
The incoming voice made her pause.
It was akin to a command prompt.
The sound lingering motionless in her mind, waiting for her input as if turning into text.
Quickly assessing the situation, Aslan glanced down at the Dragon King’s arm.
That’s when it clicked.
Clearly, it was due to the soul corruption caused by the Dragon King’s arm implanted in her.
Aslan thought this, and her thought was partly correct.
Unbeknownst to Aslan, the chimera had been abandoned by the Predator after the core’s damage, with locks released and no further information or support possible.
Thus, it recognized the Dragon King as a high priest based on outdated information from nine years ago.
Had Aslan not damaged the core in the past, she would have lost the arm again or the chimera would have self-destructed.
This was an opportunity.
Aslan didn’t fully grasp the situation or the whole story, but instinctively acted on luck.
Having never missed an opportunity while living in Geladridion, Aslan spoke immediately.
“A large bow.”
Ignoring concerned inquiries, she merely muttered. As her companions approached warily to pull her away,
[Please specify desired armament: Large Bow_]
The blinking message closed, and the chimera’s body began to transform.
With strange sounds of metal twisting, meshing, and connecting, the chimera’s body rapidly transformed.
“Guh…!”
Simultaneously, an electric current crawled up through the Dragon King’s hand.
Any ordinary person would have lost consciousness or let go of the chimera, but Aslan endured.
Purely thanks to the special trait of indomitable spirit, which rendered status ailments ineffective.
Minor electrical damage was healed through the function of purity, the Pillar of Creation, allowing Aslan to continue modifying the chimera while gritting her teeth.
Rather, she amplified efficiency by channeling mana. With the accelerated transformation fueled by mana, her companions readied their weapons to assist, but…
“It’s fine, so… step back!”
Her shout made them hesitate.
“Even so, Aslan…!”
Despite appearing dangerous, they tried to stop her, but before they could intervene, everything was already over.
Crackling electric currents ran through Aslan’s body and dissipated. What felt like an eternity passed in five minutes.
Breathing heavily, Aslan finally grasped the completed bow in her hand.
A large bow that only Tiamat could wield. Wiping cold sweat off her brow with the back of her hand, Aslan inspected the bow.
It was undoubtedly a bow, yet its futuristic design stood out.
Made entirely from a high-level predator priest, the design boasted flexible curves while maintaining elegance.
There was no sense of inadequacy or deficiency.
The seams engraved on the bow’s body emitted a faint golden glow, and the light emanating from those seams radiated warmth.
The bow, a silvery metallic color.
Notably, from the arrow rest above the nocking point to the string’s nocking point, unique protrusions were visible.
While Aslan panted, inspecting these design features, a voice intruded her ear.
[Locally Deployed Annihilation-Destruction Auxiliary Operator: Chimera.]
[Local Energy Supply: Plasma Emission Function via Mana Integration.]
[Emission Type: Arrow]
[Remaining Energy: 12%. Would you like to perform a test shot?: ___]
Plasma emission function. Emission type: arrow.
This implied only one thing.
Aslan raised the bow, aiming at the sky, and her companions watched anxiously at her sudden action.
“Yes.”
Reacting to her voice, the bow responded.
The golden light between the seams intensified, and plasma swirled between the arrow rest and the center of the string.
“That thing? Wasn’t that…”
Angie’s alarmed voice matched the sight—now, the arrow formed in the large bow resembled the javelin the chimera had thrown.
Aslan stared at the arrow and drew the string.
The plasma, which should have burned flesh and melted bones just by proximity, obeyed her movement.
Controlled by the electromagnetic field, the plasma obediently churned, and Aslan decisively released the string towards the sky without hesitation.
-Twang!
The plasma shot out, and the drawn-back string quivered. The golden arrow flew.
The arrow pierced through the closing hole in the sky and…
KABOOOM!
It exploded.
A sight resembling another sun rising. Aslan watched this, then lowered her head slightly and met eyes with Tiamat, who looked as though he’d seen a treasure.
Only his violently wagging tail betrayed his emotions.
