Chapter 166: Adam's Mark

< Chapter 166: Adam’s Mark (2) >

“Forgive my rudeness.”

“It’s okay. Can you explain first?”

“Yes.”

Illyna began to explain.

“The bead that I gave you... it’s a family treasure called ‘The Great One’s Promise.'”

I looked at the bead I was holding. It’s emitting a brilliant green light.

“A thousand years ago, during Alfheim’s crisis, the great father of the forest who appeared and saved us, it’s the item left by the ‘High Elf’.”

High Elf?

“And this ‘The Great One’s Promise’ only reacts when in contact with the great father, ‘High Elf’.”

“...”

So, they called me the great father.

I understand.

But one question remains.

“I understand why you were convinced that I’m a High Elf. But why did you test me with this bead?”

Because they suspected me to be a High Elf, they deceived me with the bead disguised as medicine.

What made them suspect me in the first place?

“There are several reasons. First, your beautiful appearance, a refreshing scent that even enchants me, and...”

Illyna looked at me with clear eyes.

“A boundless power that even my ‘eyes’ can’t grasp.”

“Ah...”Rêạd new chapters at novelhall.com

I see.

I had forgotten in the chaos.

I heard that Alfheim’s Queen Illyna was called the ‘Queen of Truth’ who could see through a person’s depths.

‘That means she has the ability to read one’s [System].’

Then everything makes sense.

It’s a similar situation to Hermit’s. She misunderstood because she couldn’t read my system.

‘So, that’s why she was friendly from the start.’

I thought it was strange.

For an intruder, she was too kind.

“I presume, great father, you’re wandering this chaotic world of war while hiding your identity.”

Illyna gazed at me earnestly.

“You’re trying tirelessly to end this war, aren’t you?”

Illyna approached and gently touched my body.

“Given the extent of these severe wounds...”

I had nothing to say in response since none of what she said was accurate.

“I apologize for testing you with ‘The Great One’s Promise’. I’m truly sorry.”

Illyna bowed deeply at 90 degrees.

It was the most respectful apology.

Looking down at the back of Illyna’s head, I got lost in thought.

Digesting the words she said, summarizing the main keywords, and using them as information.

‘Chaotic world, war, rudeness, and apology.’

Combining the information I know from the original story...

‘I roughly understand.’

I now understood why Illyna did what she did.

“Alfheim is in danger, isn’t it?”

“...!”

Illyna’s body, who had her head bowed, shook noticeably.

“That’s why the queen herself was patrolling the outskirts. Because there’s a shortage of troops.”

Because of Alfheim’s crisis, Illyna must have decided to hand over the ‘Promise of the Great One’ to me.

Even though she knowingly was committing a ‘rudeness,’ she had no choice.

“Lift your head for now. It’s hard to talk like this.”

“...Yes.”

Illyna slowly raised her head.

Both of our faces are flushed with shame.

To me, who is perceived as the high elf, it must be shameful for her to reveal that her nation is on the brink of collapse.

“I’m sorry. The nation that the great father built... I...”

Blood streamed from her tightly pressed lips. She must feel such deep shame and anger.

“It’s okay.”

There’s no reason for her to apologize to me in the first place. After all, I’m not a high elf.

But I can’t just say that, so I made an excuse.

“Even for my ancestor, the first high elf, stopping the current situation would’ve been a challenge.”

“...Yes.”

Illyna gave a bitter smile.

Just from that reaction, I can tell. It must be the demons causing problems.

‘Then, as expected, this timeline is during the First Great Racial War.’

How much time has passed since then?

I need to clearly understand the current timeline.

“How long has it been since the demons first attacked?”

“6 years, 11 months, 21 days... It’s almost 7 years.”

“It’s been that long already...”

If it’s been 7 years, then there’s only about 3 years left until the world’s destruction.

...Wait a minute.

The 7th year?

My pupils dilated.

“By any chance, when you say Alfheim is in danger, is it because the beast kingdom’s fall is imminent?”

“...Yes.”

“I thought so...”

Rena Beast Reperiel.

The day I unexpectedly met her, I heard many stories.

Stories about the events that happened during the 7 years, from the start of the war to just before she was sealed.

She said,

― With the full support of our ally, Alfheim, we fought, but ultimately, we couldn’t stop the demons.

Thus, Rena decided to flee to the Korean Peninsula, Alfheim.

But since even Alfheim wasn’t safe, in order to survive, she had to choose to be sealed.

And so, Rena was sealed.

This is the story I know up to the 7th year of the war.

“What is this...?”

Black + shape transformation.

This was a pattern I had never seen before.

“Ugh.”

I had a headache.

* * *

The next morning.

Perhaps it was due to the absence of the boiling pure blood, but I was able to sleep soundly for a whole 7 hours.

“...I’m tired.”

Even after sleeping for 7 hours, I still felt tired. It’s a rare feeling of fatigue.

“Yawn.”

While yawning, I headed to the training hall that Illyna had introduced me to yesterday. I had to check my physical condition first.

‘There’s no one here.’

The training hall was quiet.

It’s currently wartime.

They probably don’t have the luxury to expend energy on training. It’s expected. If you’re here, you’d likely be too busy resting.

‘The caretaker must have worked hard.’

The inside of the training hall was well-organized. The weapons were neatly hung by type on racks, and the huge mirror occupying half the space didn’t have a single fingerprint on it.

There were no typical sword marks on the walls either.

“Isn’t this a bit of an obsession with cleanliness?”

It was so tidy that such a thought came to mind. I quietly approached the shelves. At a glance, I could see more than ten different weapons.

While wondering which weapon to try out and scanning the shelf,

“Huh?”

There was a sword in a corner.

A massive greatsword that took up an entire shelf. At first glance, it seemed to exude an aura proclaiming, “I am an extraordinary sword.”

‘...Could this be an ancient relic?’

With that much presence, it seemed likely.

I casually approached it. It seemed like a good opportunity. I wanted to test my power using an ancient relic.

‘But did the elf race use greatswords?’

Hmm. Well, there might be elves who do.

If we’re talking about the elf named Robin, who used to be a giant, it’s possible.

I nonchalantly reached out for the greatsword.

At that moment.

“Argh!”

I felt an intense, suffocating pain in my thigh.

It was a pain similar to when I held the ‘Promise of the Great One’ yesterday.

The difference being that yesterday’s pain felt like a ‘burn’, while today’s felt like a ‘bruise’.

“Gasp, gasp.”

Even the fact that the pain ceased rapidly was the same.

“Whoa, shit...”

I really thought I was dying.

That was when I was catching my ragged breath.

“...Huh?”

The hand that was holding the sword caught my eye.

‘Why have my muscles grown so much?’

Even my nails have become sharp.

Sharp enough to resemble a blade.

...Wait, a change in my physique?

“No way!”

I remember there being a large mirror.

I quickly turned toward the direction of the mirror.

The moment I saw my reflection, I was dumbfounded.

“Beast ears...?”

On my head were ears that looked like those of a tiger, yellow and beastly.

Even my hair had turned a pale yellow.

The slim figure I once had vanished, replaced by a physique that seemed like I had bulked up with enormous muscles.

“At a glance, I look like a beastman...”

To anyone looking, I’d look like a member of the tiger race.

Yesterday, I had transformed into the form of an elf. I looked down at the greatsword I was holding.

‘When I held the relic of the elf race yesterday, I transformed into the form of an elf.’

Does this mean this relic is from the beastman race, and my changed ability is to ‘transform into the form of the corresponding race when I hold their relic’?

“...So does this mean, not just the appearance, but I can use all the characteristics of the respective race?”

Given the transformation of my muscles, it seemed highly likely.

I felt the need to test it out. I exerted strength throughout my body. My muscles swelled even more, pulsating as they expanded and contracted.

“I’ve definitely become stronger.”

That’s when it happened.

rip

My clothes began to tear.

My massively swollen muscles were too much for my clothes to handle.

“Oh no...”

Cloth mainly from my thighs and arms ripped away, revealing the impressive muscles.

“...Huh?”

Then I was taken aback.

Not particularly because of the enormous form of the muscles.

I was shocked because I recognized the ‘mark’ etched onto the muscle of my thigh. It was the changed mark of the beast race.

“Black?”

Surely, until last night, the mark of the beast race was white. Now it had turned black.

But that wasn’t the only shocking thing.

‘...Wait a minute, how much time has passed?’

I was too dazed to check the time.

I quickly checked the time.

“2 minutes 37 seconds?”

More than 2 minutes had passed since I picked up what I presume is the relic of the beast race.

Yet, there was no sign of any spark.

“What is really happening...?”

My pupils reflected in the mirror, trembled intensely.

< Chapter 166: Adam’s Mark (2) > End.