Calm yourself.
The spirit of lightning, Daljin, said this to me.
“…Calm myself?”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
Suddenly shoving an artifact into someone’s mouth and telling them to calm down—it doesn’t work that way.
If someone were to suddenly inject you with an unknown liquid into your arm and then calmly tell you to “calm down,” would you be able to follow that instruction?
How could you trust that the substance in the syringe is beneficial for your health and not an immediate poison?
And even if it were medicine, there are cases where the best treatments can become toxic depending on your symptoms and conditions.
How could they know whether I’d have an allergic reaction or suddenly start vomiting or having diarrhea?
You crazy deer!
“Calm down?”
Artifacts aren’t universal power-up solutions that work efficiently for every character. Therefore, I firmly demanded an explanation from Daljin.
“Uh… yeah, sure.”
Daljin seemed somewhat flustered by my intense reaction.
“Ahem!”
Lir gave me a light tap on my back and let out a faux cough to warn me about being rude to Daljin.
“Why?”
I turned around with a frosty expression and asked Lir.
Her hesitation was immediately noticeable as she leaned close to my ear and whispered softly.
“Um… you should show some respect at least…”
“…Respect?”
Lir, have you lost your mind too?
“Do you think now is the time for formalities when an artifact of unknown origin has been forcibly inserted into my body?”
“Well, um… but since it’s an artifact, it could be something good at least, right? You should calm down first…”
Lir seemed to have a vague understanding of artifacts as “some kind of beneficial weapon to get.” Given her lack of knowledge about artifacts, her perspective on the matter wasn’t entirely unexpected.
After all, the only artifact she had ever seen was probably the ‘red crystal’ I carried on my shoulder, which fires beams of light. The red crystal, despite having a lackluster effect compared to other artifacts, lacks any drawbacks, which made me somewhat understand why Lir reacted this way.
“Haha, respect… right…”
But once she realizes that some artifacts can reduce a user’s lifespan to a mere two years, Lir will likely react the same way I do.
For a species like yours, which can live for over 4,000 years, consuming such an artifact would mean losing about 3,978 years.
Do you still think you’d remain composed after losing 3,978 years of life? I’d be curious to test that.
“Hm… I sort of understand what you’re worried about. After all, artifacts do exist that negatively impact lifespan, health or intelligence.”
“Good! Then instead of just shoving this thing in my face, you should have warned me beforehand. ‘Oh, by the way, this staff is an artifact, so be careful!’ Isn’t that what you should’ve done?”
“Huh? There’s no need for that since it’s not that kind of dangerous artifact. You’re such a—”
Daljin gave me a strange look, shaking his head with apparent exasperation.
Look how he talks! Anyone listening would think I’m the unreasonable one.
Who was it that forcibly shoved an object into my mouth without revealing its nature—a move I couldn’t undo even if I wanted to?
“Then explain what the effect of this staff is.”
“Hmm! Alright, let’s see…” Daljin paused for dramatic effect.
“Cut the background story—I don’t care. Just tell me.”
“…”
Daljin seemed slightly put off by my curt response and dropped his head in disappointment.
“Tch. Well, briefly put… think of it as a staff that can summon me.”
Daljin clicked his tongue and then, with a deflated tone, explained.
“…?”
Even though he claimed to only focus on the main points, I still couldn’t fully grasp what he just said.
Summoning me? Wait, you can summon me?
“…Eh?”
Behind me, Lir let out a confused murmur. Clearly, she didn’t understand what Daljin had said either.
“…”
Looking back, I locked eyes with Lir. She had the same bewildered expression I did.
…Did I hear him right?
“Something’s off, isn’t it?”
“Uh… it summons someone?”
“Yeah, it’s a staff that can summon me.”
“…As in, summoning to fight in someone’s place…?”
“Of course, that’s an option too. Is there any country or place you dislike?”
Daljin asked with casual nonchalance, like asking if you want anything from the convenience store.
“…”
“…”
The mutual disbelief prompted another exchange of glances between Lir and me.
Apparently, she too struggled to process the reality of the situation.
The spirit of lightning, Daljin—known as the originator of lightning magic, the embodiment of transcendence, a force in this world that approaches godhood. Possessing overwhelming magic surpassing all mages collectively, a life-force that never fades, and the power to effortlessly break worldly physics—if anything, that was divine power.
And now, Daljin claims that this staff allows for unlimited summoning of him.
“…It’s ridiculous.”
I couldn’t help but stare at my right palm, a nervous chuckle escaping as I processed the absurdity.
It was like having suddenly been handed a nuclear bomb.
What even is this situation?
“Let me ask again… seriously, there’s no downside to my health—or any drawbacks regarding magic or anything?”
“What I’ve already said—there’s no such restrictions on this artifact. This staff was created by someone with the skill to seal me into this tiny stone, so it’s nothing like those amateur artifacts.”
…It’s a cheat item.
A completely ridiculous cheat item.
Such an artifact, if implemented in a game, would create extreme balance issues where every player would simply become a mage.
Now I finally understood why I hadn’t seen this staff before.
“…With this thing, isn’t the war practically over?”
Lir turned to me, still wearing a dazed expression, clearly not entirely comprehending the situation.
Oh yeah, we were in the middle of a war.
I’d nearly forgotten with the sudden appearance of the nuclear bomb in my hand.
“End the war? Are we talking about the war against that devil who keeps coming back? Sorry, but that’s a bit of a tall order.”
“Huh? Why not?”
According to the lore, the powers held by the five elemental spirits were as powerful as the demon that rose from the depths of hell.
With the Sword Saint and their party taking care of the Demon King, and Daljin handling the devil, we could end this war within a month…
“Look at my current state. Isn’t my body sealed inside this tiny stone?”
“Yeah.”
“My power weakens the further I am from this forest.”
“…Eh? It weakens? To what extent?”
“Well, in the noisy battlefield nearby… I’d be roughly at the level of the elderly mage who travels with you. And the further away we go, the weaker I’ll become. By the time we reach the northernmost land where the devil is, I wouldn’t be much stronger than a Tier 6 mage.”
“Hey?”
Oh, the momentum’s gone.
“Hey, tone it down a bit!”
Lir, startled by my candid tone, jabbed me on the back once more.
“Well, you’re disappointed too, aren’t you, Lir?”
“That’s not something you should say out loud!”
Lir glanced at Daljin’s expression before cautiously leaning in close and whispering into my ear.
Why must she keep whispering like this? This isn’t exactly a secret from someone as transcendental as this deer, right?
Looking closer, she seems to treat Daljin like he’s the biggest fool in the room.
“Well, if you really want to release my true power, there’s actually a way for it.”
Daljin observed our conversation with amusement and then offered a cryptic solution.
“If you release the seal that binds me within this stone, you’ll be able to use my full strength, no matter how far away you are.”
“…Is this thing sealed?”
I blinked, hearing this information for the first time.
“The creator of the staff inside you told you already, didn’t they? Some name… what was it? Forget it. Mortal names are always too hard to remember. An ancient person, I think? They might call them something else now.”
This was a new revelation.
Until now, I thought spirits like him could only communicate through rune stones.
In the game, there was no other way to communicate with spirits, and the few lines of dialogue we had were always brief and vague.
It was never mentioned in our lore either.
Apparently, the rune stones used to commune with transcendences were actually their prisons.
“The ancients were a highly skilled race capable of crafting artifacts. But even with such skill, how could they manage to seal you, a transcendent entity like Daljin, inside a rune stone?”
Lir was visibly shocked, still under the assumption that Daljin willingly inhabited the rune stone.
“The mage who sealed me was a genius, one who truly deserved the title. He tried to use the staff to control me like a slave. Such a conceited idea, fitting for a genius.”
Daljin didn’t harbor any ill will toward the mage who confined him. If anything, it seemed he might even miss him a little.
“Someone who imprisoned you sure speaks highly of them.”
“Isn’t it amusing? While other mages worshipped me as a god, he only saw me as a tool to serve his ambitions. I admire the bold. The ones who trust their own talent enough to run wild are even better. They’re entertaining and funny to watch.”
…It was starting to make sense why Daljin gave me such a powerful staff.
“Sounds like you’re treating me more as a toy to pass the time.”
“More like a doll that I’ve grown attached to. No other seekers since have matched your talent and boldness. And you also come with a terrifying ‘limitation’ comparable to your talent.”
Instinctively, I realized the limitation Daljin mentioned wasn’t something as simple as physical weakness.
Even if he’s confined in a rune stone, Daljin remains the originator of lightning magic, transcendent. He must’ve known right from our first meeting that the only magic I could use was ‘Awakening,’ despite my high magical stats.
Daljin simply found me amusing.
Unlike others, I didn’t bow or kneel before him like Lir.
Moreover, my magical stats were incredibly high by any standard. But I could only cast one single magic spell, despite my off-the-chart magical stats.
It wasn’t surprising that I caught his interest.
“…It’s irritating.”
Hearing my reply, Daljin smiled quietly.
“I’m enjoying this moment, but that’s unfortunate for you.”
A fox-like grin flickered across Daljin’s lips, giving me a brief glimpse into the nature of this transcendent being.
“So, how exactly do we break the seal that binds you?”
Lir quickly changed the subject, noticing the subtle tension between me and Daljin. She seemed worried I might anger Daljin.
“I don’t know.”
“…Uh. Alright, then.”
Lir’s expression turned perplexed at Daljin’s straightforward admission.
“You could ask the guy who sealed me here.”
“He’s already dead, we said that.”
I shot back at Daljin with irritation. Asking a man dead for thousands of years was futile nonsense.
“His research records are likely in the northern bunkers… you know, those places you call dungeons. If that’s too bothersome, you could also develop the magic yourself to break the seal.”
The northern land, filled with 90-level Grand Marshals and monsters of similar caliber, was the game’s late-stage area.
Investigating a dungeon in the region controlled by the Demon King and the devil was an impossible quest for me at the moment.
“…I’ll keep it in mind for now.”
Living day-to-day was already difficult enough. While regaining the full power of a transcendent might sound enticing, I had mountains of other immediate tasks to deal with.
“Well, doesn’t matter if it’s you who breaks the seal. Some genius equal to you or even better will eventually come along, as always.”
“Not like being sealed bothers you much. You seem fine with staying confined.”
“Freedom? Doesn’t interest me. As long as I get entertained, anything’s okay.”
The mindset of transcendents baffled me—far beyond the understanding of a mortal brain.
…To be honest, this guy seems a bit strange anyway.
