Episode 377
“Destroy the Sage? What do you mean?”
I had assumed, like with the Sea God, that we would extract the divine stone, break the seal, and restore the Forest Dragon to its original state.
But the Sage’s words were the complete opposite.
The Sage looked at Zeke and spoke.
“I’ve held the position of the Forest Dragon for the longest time. Even if the seal is broken now, regaining my original divinity, like Poseidon, would be difficult.”
Zeke had a hunch about what the Sage meant. Poseidon, though forgotten as a Sea God with his divinity sealed, still exuded a mysterious aura when one entered his domain, as if separated from the world.
Moreover, Poseidon’s existence was distinct from his avatar.
In the case of the Forest God, however, only the Sage, the avatar, existed. Even with Hermes, the main body, right in front of them, there was no spiritual presence or domain, nor any sense of power.
The Sage, looking weary, continued.
“If you destroy me and my divine status disappears, the seal will vanish too. Then, the divine power trapped within me will find a new owner.”
Zeke understood what the Sage was saying.
But the thought of driving a sacred spear into his heart to destroy him was unsettling.
Zeke looked at the Sage and asked, “Is there no other way than to destroy Hermes?”
The Sage shook his head.
“This is the only way. It won’t be easy for you, of course. But this is how we restore the disrupted balance of the material world.”
Zeke pondered the Sage’s words before nodding.
“Understood.”
There seemed to be no other answer, so it was better to act quickly.
Hearing Zeke’s response, the Sage smiled, relieved.
“Thank you for making such a difficult decision.”
The Sage extended his hand.
The trees around them began to move, and roots grew from the ground, lifting them upward.
Zeke and the Sage rose until they stopped in front of the massive fossilized ribs of a dragon.
More trees grew, forming a bridge leading into the ribcage.
The Sage gestured to Zeke.
“Let’s go in.”
Zeke followed the Sage into the dragon’s ribcage.
Inside, much like with the Sea God, there was a heart, petrified and vibrating slightly, with a spear made of divine stone embedded in it.
The Sage instructed Zeke, “You just need to pierce it with the sacred spear.”
Zeke approached the heart slowly, holding the sacred spear.
He gazed at Hermes’ heart, which was vibrating slightly.
After a moment, he raised the spear, aiming its tip at the heart.
The spear seemed ready to pierce Hermes’ heart at any moment.
Behind him, the Sage closed his eyes slowly.
‘Yes, this is the right way. There is no other.’
When a dragon dies, its soul separates from its body and finds rest in the spirit world.
But if destroyed by the divine stone, its soul would vanish, losing the chance to enter the spirit world.
Hermes was willing to sacrifice even his soul to restore balance to the material world.
A powerful energy surged from Zeke.
The Sage prepared himself, waiting for his final moment in the material world.
But nothing happened. The energy seemed to dissipate.
‘What is this?’
The Sage opened his eyes slightly.
Zeke had withdrawn the spear and was deep in thought.
He then put the spear back into his inventory and approached the Sage.
“Sage, this doesn’t feel right.”
Zeke had been about to pierce the dragon’s heart, but something held him back.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the only solution.
The Sage looked at Zeke and said, “You are destined to fight the Demon King. If you let emotions sway you now, what will you do later? Will you repeat the mistakes of Terracan Draker?”
Zeke shook his head.
“This situation is different. There might be another way, and I think we’re rushing to a conclusion.”
Then, a possibility struck Zeke.
“Sage, what if we could restore the dragon’s heart to its former state?”
The Sage looked puzzled.
“Restore the heart? What do you mean?”
“I have the power of Chronos to ‘reverse’ time.”
“The power of Chronos?”
The Sage was taken aback by the mention of Chronos, the dragon of time.
Zeke explained his plan with confidence.
“With the dragon pearl I received from the Sea God and the elixir as a catalyst, I can use the reversal power without side effects. I’ve experienced it myself.”
He had once reversed a sacred relic that was about to break.
If he could restore a relic imbued with the Fairy King’s power, he could surely restore the dragon’s heart.
The Sage’s expression changed upon hearing Zeke’s words.
“If you can restore the dragon’s heart… perhaps regaining the divine status is possible.”
Destroying the dragon’s soul and waiting for a new divine being would take time.
But if Hermes regained the power of the Forest Dragon, he could immediately restore order and find a successor to pass on his power.
Zeke nodded.
“Alright, then I’ll use Chronos’ power to reverse the heart.”
Zeke took out the dragon pearl and dropped a few remaining drops of elixir onto it.
A bright light emanated from the pearl.
The Sage watched in awe.
‘I didn’t expect such a reaction from the elixir and the pearl.’
Ignoring Hermes’ surprise, Zeke held the glowing pearl and reached out to the dragon’s heart, activating the reversal power.
[‘Dragon Pearl’ is linked with the power ‘Reversal.’]
As Zeke used the power, time stopped, and a message appeared, just like when he reversed the mask. A giant clock of Chronos appeared before him.
[The power ‘Reversal’ is activated.]
The clock of Chronos began to turn backward, reversing the time of the dragon’s heart.
But then another message appeared.
[Insufficient causality for reversal.]
[A medium is required to fulfill the causality for reversal.]
Zeke asked the system, “What medium is needed?”
[It can be fulfilled with the dragon’s body, a phoenix feather, and a fairy stone blessed by the Fairy King.]
Fortunately, Zeke had what was needed to fulfill the causality.
He looked at his shoulder and called out to Raven.
Kurururu—
As expected, being a divine beast, Raven appeared unaffected by the stopped time.
“Raven, I need one of your feathers.”
Raven, looking reluctant, fluffed its wings and turned its head.
Zeke whispered to Raven.
“Please, just this once. Your feather is needed to save the Forest Dragon.”
Raven, surprised, widened its eyes and looked around.
Seeing the halted dragon heart, Raven covered its head with its wings, then nodded in determination.
Kurururu!
Raven plucked its largest and most beautiful feather with its beak and handed it to Zeke.
Zeke smiled as he took the feather from Raven.
“Thank you, Raven.”
He gave Raven a piece of premium jerky and took out the dragon’s body and the fairy stone blessed by the Fairy King.
The three mediums floated into the air, turning into light and merging into the dragon’s heart.
Uuuuuung!
The power activated again, reversing the dragon’s heart.
[The power ‘Reversal’ is activated without penalty using the ‘Dragon Pearl.’]
[Successfully reversed the time of the target.]
Time, which had stopped, began to flow again.
Wooooong!
The Sage was astonished to see the heart pulsing with life.
“The heart is truly regaining its power…”
Even as the dragon’s avatar, it was a sight he had never seen before.
Zeke approached the dragon’s heart.
He grasped the divine spear embedded in the heart and slowly pulled it out.
Kugugugu—
With Zeke’s immortal strength, the divine spear slid out effortlessly.
As Zeke removed the spear, the wound healed rapidly, and the petrified dragon heart began to glow green, regaining its original power.
Tststststst—
The fossilized body of the dragon, which had been like stone, began to emit a green light.
The Sage, witnessing this, shed tears of gratitude.
“My goodness! How is this possible!”
As his voice echoed, a message appeared.
[The divine status of the forgotten Forest God is liberated.]
[The Forest God Hermes regains his divinity.]
[All forests on the continent stabilize under the influence of the Forest God Hermes.]
[The actions of beasts within the forests are restricted.]
As the message of the Forest God’s liberation appeared, a green light gathered from the dragon’s heart, forming a shape.
The elf, with a gentle demeanor, had hair the color of fresh green grass, and horns reminiscent of a mountain goat sprouted from his forehead.
It was the true spirit of Hermes, imbued with a divine aura, that had revealed itself.
The sage bowed his head toward this presence.
“O Divine Dragon!”
Like a god of the sea, the true form of the divine dragon Hermes had returned to reclaim his divine seat.
The forest god Hermes, having regained his divine status, approached Zeke and extended his hand.
Zeke could smell a fragrance from Hermes, like the scent of a spring meadow.
[The Forest God Hermes expresses gratitude to the Immortal.]
[The Forest God Hermes bestows a reward upon the Immortal.]
From Hermes’s hand, a tree began to grow, forming a statue with a face resembling that of a mountain goat.
The completed statue floated into the air and gently landed in Zeke’s hands.
[You have acquired the Sacred Relic of the Forest God Hermes.]
[The Forest God Hermes grants the title ‘Companion of the Forest’ to the Immortal.]
[All forests and their inhabitants will regard the Immortal with friendliness and offer assistance.]
[Due to the influence of the title ‘Companion of the Forest,’ the active skill ‘Empathy (Grade A)’ has transformed into the power ‘Communication.’]
Zeke was taken aback by the reward Hermes had given him.
“My skill turned into a power!”
Though he had the Empathy skill, it was rarely useful except for reading the emotions of summoned creatures. He had debated whether to sell the skill book but had kept it, and now, unexpectedly, it had transformed into a power, leaving Zeke with a satisfied expression.
No matter how useful a skill was, it couldn’t compare to the capabilities of a power.
As Hermes stretched out his hands, a warm green light emanated from his body, spreading in all directions.
Rumble—
With a tremor, the barren, fossil-like space was infused with life.
Green leaves and sprouts began to emerge everywhere.
Simultaneously, the light enveloped the sage’s body.
Sss—
The sage, who had been seated, slowly rose and began to walk leisurely.
He approached Zeke, who looked at him in surprise, and said, “This place is about to transform into a divine realm. We should leave for now.”
The sage placed a hand on Zeke’s shoulder and cast a teleportation spell.
Whoosh!
As the light faded, Zeke found himself back in the sage’s study, having returned from Hermes’s domain.
Yet, for some reason, the study felt different than before.
A strangely warm atmosphere lingered.
Zeke and the sage stepped out into the hallway and moved toward the window where sunlight streamed in.
The city below looked different from when he first saw it.
Thanks to Hermes and the nagas, the city had developed into a systematic and sophisticated place, but it had always felt stark and monochrome.
Now, however, it was lush with greenery, and the entire city seemed to pulse with vibrant life.
The sage, gazing down at the city, remarked, “I thought maintaining the city with the remaining power was fortunate enough… but you’ve breathed new life into it.”
Just as the southern sea stabilized when the sea god reclaimed his throne, the return of the forest god had revitalized the forest’s life force.
The sage looked at Zeke and said, “I think I understand why the Holy Spear chose you as its successor.”
As he finished speaking, the sage’s body began to gradually fade away.