Chapter 218 Part 1: Helping Hand

"Are we correct to assume that you are the source of this innocent plum's undying love?" it spoke in a gritty voice that didn't fit Madilith's cute face. The smile made her look even worse, creepy even.

Arnold didn't answer.

"If it weren't for you then we would've never had the means to enact our plan to revive our king to newfound strength and avenge him." it suddenly cleared its throat and muttered, "Ah, human vocal cords are so satisfying to use. My words come out more coherently."

"…By 'king' you mean the Soul King, right?"

"You know of our king?"

"I've heard stories about how he merciless slaughtered over half the divine beast population which even caused him to end up a target for bounty hunters, commissioned by the divine council. None of his bounty posters called him a king. Maybe that's because he isn't fitting of the title?"

Cursama narrowed its eyes, "It matters not if a mortal does not acknowledge our king. you will know His true might soon enough once He becomes the absolute ruler of the nine realms. That's if you don't die and become the stepping stone for His ascension to godhood."

Stepping stone to godhood?

What does that mean?

Arnold had a vague idea as to what that could mean.

Nihihihi, its throaty laugh made his skin crawl.

"Ascension to godhood… Normally those destined to attain godhood are born with the potential to become gods and are assigned the role most suited to them."

That's how it works only in the divine realm. The mortal realms have never birthed a potential god, nor will they in the future. Arnold knew this from Liam's memories. While Promethius might have had power rivaling that of a god, he did not become one during his time as a hero.

The Timeline Gods get to decide who is worthy to become gods. Demigods are different since they can be born through blood relations even if one parent is human and the other a demigod.

God of the divine realm = role or duty to the realms.

Melis is the Goddess of Beauty and Life—that is her role. She created humans and maintains the order of life.

The Mother of Nature Goddess is the reincarnation of the creator of the World Tree which connects all realms through mysterious forces—that is her role.

Yorm is the Gate Guardian from Ofore protecting the Realm Gate from the forces of the Between Realms—that is her role.

The gods always have roles assigned to their names. They aren't just born with those duties but must demonstrate qualities and potential to oversee their assigned roles.

Giving the role of a god to one not qualified to become a god is blasphemy and insulting to the lords of the three timelines. That is why it is considered a crime against the divine realm to attempt to become a god without approval from the top brass of the divine hierarchy. This law was useless in the past since no one had ever been capable of creating gods through artificial ways. Until now apparently.

If this becomes a common thing then the gods will have to descend from their sanctuary in the divine realm, onto the mortal worlds. This is something that has never happened before, not even during the Demon-Human War.

The reason is simple: gods must never interfere with the mortal realms directly. This is simply to avoid unnecessary conflicts if something were to go wrong so it's not actually illegal, just a mutual agreement between gods.

"Hahahaha. Preposterous! With the power of the Dark Forces aiding us, we can even turn a mortal into a god through sacrificing mortals!"

"Dark forces…? The forces separating the Between Realms from the nine realms…?"

"Hoh, you are familiar with that too? Then do you know the method to create a god?"

Arnold approached the creature.

The method of approach was irrelevant at the moment. He could figure out the details later, assuming he managed to capture Cursama. Though he knew that was wishful thinking.

Level 98.

There was no way he could win. He was even less confident than when he fought the Faceless.

Arnold considered using his persuasive skills, but this was no human. He had no way of knowing how to fulfill its desires, assuming it even had any. It probably didn't possess any cardinal desires.

There was also the possibility that this creature could kill him on the spot with a curse. As a caster, having full control over curse magic was common, so it was likely the same for this creature.

In any case, Arnold was cautious about his approach. He needed to find out more without risking his life.

Seeing him approach with his towering figure, the creature retreated with a feigned look of fear, likely misunderstanding his intentions.

"Oh, scary! Please don't hurt me, I'm just a small human girl!" The expression, gestures, and voice were exactly like Madilith's, but they still awakened a disgust in Arnold that made him want to vomit.

It was probably acting like Madilith on purpose to annoy him.

Nevertheless, Arnold decided not to react in any way that would amuse it.

"Can you remove the curse?" he asked as he picked up his clothes. This was probably unnecessary since he was in a dream world but he felt uncomfortable speaking without wearing anything. Unlike Madilith, he can't just make stuff appear.

He heard a snicker just as he pulled up his pants, "How can we remove something that we cannot control? The Dark Forces knows no master, only opposition, which is why even the Progenitor never attempted to tame it."

"You can't… remove the curse?"

Now knowing that the Dark Forces were somehow involved made him less confident in the ritual magic he used before. The Dark Forces could only be kept at bay by Aedri because that is the role assigned to her by the three lords of time.

How could he, a simple mortal, ever hope to stand up to something like that?

Asking the perpetrator, who's the reason why they're in this mess to remove the curse, was just him grasping at blind hope.

The Dark Forces might be the fuel to this curse magic—like mana is to arcane—and not the foundation of it.

"Not to worry, your deaths will serve a greater purpose. There is nothing better than serving an all-powerful king. Not even this girl could understand this so we're hoping you see reason. If you do then we will promise to create a world just for the two of you to live in."

"I'm not making such a deal with someone who wants to commit mass genocide."

"Oh? You are concerned for the lives of the insignificant? How about serving our King as loyal soldiers? He who commands absolute power can bestow upon you the necessary strength to triumph over any foe. You need only say yes. He can even turn both of you into demigods!"

"What is the point of me accepting when I'm cursed? You said just earlier that you can't control the dark forces to remove the curse."

"…Humph, we are certain our King will have the power to tame the Dark Forces once He ascends to godhood." It suddenly sneered, "To quicken the process and ensure you survive with this girl, we could kill everyone cursed by the dark forces and leave only the two of you alive. What does the human boy say?"

"Does that mean you can only kill us at if we're together?"

"Indeed, the dark forces are a troublesome power to command but very useful to turn our special skill even deadlier. We do not have a lot of control over it since this is our first time casting it on thousands of individuals."

So, it wasn't just an ordinary spell but a skill.

"Thousands of individuals" would imply that every single person Arthur and the others walked past were now afflicted or have died already. There was no way for Arnold to know the skill's limitations when it comes to how many people can be cursed at the same time.

Arnold decided to probe the creature a bit more.

"Can this skill be used a second time?"

"No, it will cancel out the active effects if we cast the curse again."

'Cancel it out… Hmm, I don't have that much knowledge about all the skills in the game so I won't be able to cast it myself and cancel its effects out that way. What kind of skill even works that way logically?'

Dammit, he cursed.

But it will help to know the name of the skill at least. That was his goal for now.

"What is the name of your skill…?"

"Oho, curious, aren't we?"

"…You want me to serve your king, don't you? We should naturally get to know each other if we're going to serve together."

"Hmm, a valid point. But are you truly going to accept it this easily? We could not persuade this girl to surrender even though we said that we will naturally allow her to live with you in your only little dimension powered by the power of the dark forces."

The dark forces are so powerful that they allow you to create your own dimensions…? Somehow, he believed that. The dark forces were keeping the rot and corruption of the Between Realms out of the other realms. If it wasn't there then few would be able to survive the harsh conditions of that realm's influence.

"I do not want to die. I have ambitions and goals to fulfil and beauties to court."

"Nihihihi, we see, we see… Yes, we understand it now. However, would you be able to convince this girl to join you? Brain can only control simple actions like prevent her from speaking and stop her from grabbing things with her hands, not control her thoughts and desires as well. Heart cannot even influence her emotions with Brain's help."

Madilith has an unshakeable will, it seems. More so than Arnold even.

"She's not going to be hard to persuade because she'll do anything for me."

"Hmm, as someone who has been inside her head for quite a while, we agree."

"You're actually in her head and not linking to her mind from somewhere…?"

Which means it isn't alive anymore.

"Indeed, the power of the dark forces keep us in the physical world. We will revive ourselves once we ensure our king ascends."

"So, whatever killed your king killed you too."

The creature nodded.

"Such a troublesome swordsman that woman was. We will make sure to help our King get rid of that woman once He ascends. She destroyed centuries of work we put into that relic tomb."

"…What is the name of your skill?"

"So impatient. We thought we could vent our frustrations but we suppose we will leave it for another time. If you don't die and accept our generous offer, that is. Our skill is a power that allow us to kill many at once. Their lifeforce is an important part of our plan."

"Why would you need lifeforce?"

Lifeforce isn't something anyone other than the person whose lifeforce it is, uses it. For example, magicians who run out of mana can sacrifice a portion of their lifeforce to cast spells.

There is no official explanation on how this is possible so Arnold always just assumes that lifeforce is just a replacement energy source even if it keeps mortals alive. It's advised to use it sparingly and not go over half of what you possess. The consequences of ignoring this at first are mild headaches, paralysis, stomach pain and frequent nosebleeds. Eventually you'll die if you use more than what you're able to.

Of course, there's no manual to help you use your lifeforce sparingly so you're literally putting your health at risk by using it.

"The lifeforce we obtain from the dead mortals will be transferred to this girl's body where she will act like a vessel of sorts. Hundreds have already accumulated over many moons; however, it is not enough!"

Arnold frowned after hearing the second part. So, the skill really is similar to a contagious virus...

"That accumulation of lifeforce will then be given to the dark forces that will revive our King!"

Of course, the source needed to power the curse is also the one who stores the energy needed to achieve the caster's ambition.

"All of this is possible through the wonderful skill given to us by our wonderful king! We thank you Milord! We are using [Hearts of Cause] as you intended for it to be used!"

Hearts of… what?

Arnold's thoughts came to a halt hearing that name.

He thought as first that he misheard the name but that wasn't the case at all. He froze like a mannequin.

"Hm? What is the matter, human?" Cursama waved in front of Arnold's face.

Why is a skill from the first beta test of the game in the final version (he assumes so since the system functions properly unlike in the past beta tests)?

Could this mean the skill wasn't actually removed but discarded somewhere in the game's files like throwing away rubbish? Normally rubbish gets deleted in 30 days but Liam was transmigrated over half a year ago so that might not be it.

Then does that mean the Dark Forces actually give you new skills once you manage to use it?

Doesn't this mean that the Dark Forces is a living entity and not just a mass of energy?

Arnold gulped.

Over 50 skills and 120 spells were rejected in the game's final version, half of which were deemed extremely dangerous or too powerful to defend against.

Could this mean that those skills and spells are still in use elsewhere, right at this moment? If so, there's a risk of misuse, with no reliable defense against most of them.

Cursama never used this skill in any game server he joined, leading Arnold to believe it originated from a pre-alpha version of the game. The Soul King, who relied more on magic and weapon arts, also never used it. Arnold speculated that Cursama might've possessed the skill in the game already but chose not to use it against solo players. Since Arnold had always raided relic tombs solo, he had never witnessed the skill before.

Another consideration was that this skill might have been restricted to a select few in the game, with players unable to obtain it themselves.

"It's nothing…" He composed himself. Freaking out wasn't going to help with anything. It certainly didn't help out in the school hall when he freaked out over the Sky God Dungeon.

This is why the ritual didn't work. Why didn't he think that there was a possibility that this curse was the cause behind all this despite being a rejected skill in the final game?

It was a sort of Group Curse that affects many individuals at once but not a forbidden magic spell since it's a special skill. Arnold erroneously assumed that the ritual magic could get rid of it but this kind of curse can never be lifted by anyone other than the caster. Unless he possessed the skill itself, there was no way to remove it.

If it was a curse that recharges itself after killing others and using their lifeforce as fuel then he could somehow exhaust it by casting several rituals at once, and as many times as it takes, to get rid of it. But this was a broken special skill that had no weaknesses and gave no side effects to the caster. With the addition of the Dark Forces, it was an even greater threat.

Arnold had assumed that this skill was patched out in updates over the years due to it being way too overpowered but it had somehow made a return.

A skill like this shouldn't exist. It defies all laws of nature and order that exist in this universe hand-crafted by humans.

Arnold wasn't even sure if killing the caster could remove it or if the skill will simply vanish once it kills all those who it affects. It might jump to a squirrel, an uninvolved person passing by, a bird near their camp, etc…

Arnold would be dead long before he could find a way to remove it, if that solution even exists.

"Kuh…!" Arnold's chest felt like it was being hit with a hot iron rod. He fell onto his knees and clutched it.

The next feeling inside his chest could only be described as someone grasping his heart trying to crush it.

He gritted his teeth.

He then breathed deeply through his nose as he stared at his condition status. It still had that exhausted (weakened) status. Maybe the pain in his chest will go away if he manages to get rid of that status.

He regretted not asking Sabrina to use a calming charm on him. It could've made this a little more bearable.

Calm down, he said to himself, every problem has a solution and if it's not clear enough then make a solution on your own.

After telling himself that, he stood up with some effort while his heart was still pounding in his chest.

Frowning, Arnold noticed that Cursama—or rather Madilith was frozen. The world also felt like it became still all of a sudden.

This had happened before with Lyra so Arnold wasn't shocked or confused at all.

…If I really die and Cursama achieves its goal then what role will the Soul King be given once it ascends to godhood?

Immediately after having that fleeting thought, the status screen appeared in front of him.

System Updated!

Patch notes: The Soul King will gain access to the River of Souls which he can consume to grow stronger. There are currently several trillion souls in the vast river of bodiless souls, a minority of whom will be reincarnated in the next century while the others rot in the pool of souls for eternity. Most are mortals while others were those related to or were demigods.

Consuming that many souls will make the Soul King a threat to the Timeline Gods who will possibly gain control over all three timelines once he becomes powerful enough to kill them.

You have received a new quest!

Quest Name: The Consuming King

Quest details: Ruin the Soul King's ascension to godhood.

Reward(s): New skill [Dragon's Descent – Lightning] (A), Sebastian's [Finger God Martial Art – Finger One] (EX).

'The Soul King will become powerful enough to kill the Timeline Gods… This is no small matter… The rewards aren't something to just scoff at either.'

He was unfamiliar with the first skill so he didn't have an opinion about it. The class it belonged to was A so it was definitely a powerful skill. He spotted "dragon" in its name. Is it a manifestation of lightning dragons? Or does his head turn into a dragon that roars and calls down lighting?

Now then. What about Sebastian's martial arts? The Finger God martial art derives from a direct derivation of a pure martial art so it wasn't something to get excited about when he was going to get a pure martial art anyway. However, obtaining all five stages of Finger God would make him a powerful warrior. Sebastian was the only known NPC to have reached this level of power. Despite being in the later level 70s, he could pummel two level cap warriors into the ground with sheer strength alone. It's hard to say if there are other people out there with more combat experience than Sebas so he might always emerge victorious regardless if he uses all five stages of his martial art or not.

Arnold knew the foundation of Sebas' martial arts but not all its other secrets and its martial skills so it made sense why he starts out at the first stage.

Arnold might be the only person in his age group to have an "EX" martial art if he manages to complete this quest.

Before that though…

'How am I supposed to foil Cursama's plan? To ruin its plans, I'll need to get rid of [Hearts of Cause] and I'm sure you know there is no weakness to this curse or a forceful way to get rid of it.'

That's what made this curse skill even more dangerous than [One Breath Kills All], which you can escape if you hold your breath in long enough.

A black silhouette suddenly manifested in front of Arnold who was staring at the flood of notifications with dead eyes.

"You need not worry human." A deep voice spoke to Arnold, "I will not let some measly curse kill us."

The smoke morphed into a tall demon with prominent horns that seemed to pierce the sky, muscular arms that were as thick as logs and an aura befitting a powerful king.

"Oriel…?"