Chapter 10: The Serpent’s Remains

Min Chen shook his head without hesitation.

“How could it be? Not everyone longs for the thrill of adventure mixed with danger. Moreover, some companions have ties left in the original world, so careful consideration is necessary.”

“Our little group originally had eight members, but only five accepted the invitation from the World’s Will, while the three who declined quickly vanished under the white light. I’m not sure where they went, but if the World’s Will didn’t deceive us, they should have returned to the original world.”

“Wait a minute.”

It seemed like Vilyric suddenly thought of something, frowning as she spoke.

“Speaking of which, even if there were only five people, if they suddenly went missing together, it should have caused quite a stir, right? And the three who returned to the original world didn’t have any memory of the World’s Will. Seeing their five friends disappear at once, wouldn’t they be thrown into chaos?”

Upon hearing this, Min Chen displayed an appreciative expression.

“Miss Vilyric, your consideration is quite detailed. Indeed, in any world, as long as there are human relationships around us, it becomes a troublesome situation. In response to this, the World’s Will stated that when we came to this world, our very existence would also transfer along, and unless we returned to our old home, all traces of our existence would vanish… including the memories of those three friends.”

“It’s like we never existed in this world at all.”

He then shyly smiled.

“And to be honest, since the five of us made that choice, it indicates we didn’t have much attachment or relationships in the original world. Of course, there are people like me who came purely because they were worried about the others and didn’t want to forget them. But there’s no denying that the first reason indeed occupies a considerable part.”

“I see… The ability to completely erase the very existence of living beings shows the extraordinary power of the World’s Will; it’s fascinating…”

Even so, Vilyric still couldn’t understand.

Why did she arrive here without encountering anything similar, just abruptly appearing out of nowhere?

Such an incomprehensible difference was the reason why the Priestess never openly revealed her identity as a traveler; it wasn’t about being wary of him, but rather that while Min Chen may be trustworthy, certain things associated with him were hard to say.

The World’s Will… what exactly is that?

However, it seemed Min Chen’s relationship with it wasn’t as she initially assumed. Adding to that the Gatekeeper’s openness, it was also reasonable to leak some information and test the waters.

In any case, let’s continue the conversation.

“So, after that, you arrived here with the help of the World’s Will?”

Min Chen nodded lightly.

“Yes, as the chosen ones of the world, we were granted power equivalent to that in the Phantom World. Upon arrival, we possessed transcendent means beyond what most beings here could hope to achieve.”

“Although the World’s Will hasn’t appeared again since then, it opened a panel for us, allowing us to exchange special currency obtained by defeating designated enemies for armaments and potions from another world, specifically goods, books, and other materials from the Phantom World.”

“With this help, we were able to grow easily and quickly become much stronger.”

Noticing an important piece of information that had been overlooked in the conversation, Vilyric couldn’t help but interrupt.

“Hold on a second, when you mention designated enemies, you’re referring to those beings trying to turn the world upside down, right? So what exactly are they?”

As she brought this up, a slight smile crossed Min Chen’s lips.

“Miss Vilyric, have you ever heard of those powerful beings known as Mythical Races that once existed in this world but mysteriously disappeared at an astonishing pace three hundred years ago?”

The black-haired girl was startled.

“You mean…?”

“Exactly, that is one of the reasons the World’s Will summoned us here.”

Turning to gaze out at the blue sky beyond the window, the young man’s eyes revealed a hint of nostalgia as he recounted some unwritten history.

“Three hundred years ago, a relic buried thousands of meters underground in the eastern part of the continent reemerged into the world by chance, causing a sensation. It was quickly sealed off by the powerful races—the Mythical Races—at the peak of existence. Do you know what was buried beneath that relic?”

Having never heard such news, Vilyric could only shake her head, and Min Chen directly continued.

“A corpse, a remnant left by the World-devouring Serpent, Yermungandr. That was once its battlefield against the gods.”

“The corpse of the World-devouring Serpent? Are you sure? But I remember the myth saying…”

Min Chen smiled slightly.

“The World-devouring Serpent is the unkillable and eternal devourer; even the gods couldn’t kill it, only seal it away, right? Heh, I didn’t expect Miss Vilyric to have moments of knowing one part and missing another.”

“Uh, well, the book said so, and Xi Fu Lin also mentioned similar things…”

Feeling a little embarrassed, the Priestess scratched her head and hastily asked curiously.

“Could it actually be different?”

“It is true.”

Min Chen nodded affirmatively, but then immediately added.

“However, in reality, the World-devouring Serpent can be killed; it just so happens that as a manifestation and incarnation of the concept of Devouring, even in death, it can reappear with the passage of time and energy cycles, making killing it ineffective. Therefore, sealing it away is the proper solution.”

“That’s a beast capable of devouring the world. In a sense, it exists on the same level as gods, or even the World’s Will I mentioned earlier. Thus, within the remains it left, there lies enormous essence and power unimaginable to ordinary beings. Miss Vilyric, do you know what this implies?”

As if questioning her, the young man immediately responded as if talking to himself.

“Ascendance. It provides the Mythical Races, already at the limits of reaching the realm of gods, the possibility of gaining divine power. And not just for one or two, but a massive evolution for the entire race, potentially giving birth to new gods and becoming the rulers of the world… that’s not mere fantasy.”

“…”

Having reached that point, even without Min Chen saying it, Vilyric could more or less guess what would happen next.

“So, the Mythical Races fought to seize this thing…?”

Min Chen silently nodded.

“Yes, back then, the Mythical Races divided into two factions. One faction, led by dragons and several gods, believed this power was too dangerous. Recklessly uncovering it might lead to the true World-devouring Serpent reappearing. They advocated sealing the relic once more.”

“The other faction, however, was larger in number, including several old, prominent Mythical Races in their prime, some evil dragons, as well as various well-established beings with ulterior motives. They sought to seize and research this divine remains, absorbing its power to become stronger and ultimately achieve the breakthrough they yearned for.”

“The two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, leading to intense battles over the relic. The conflict was incredibly brutal, and toward the end, even demons and other outsiders from different worlds got wind of it and joined in. The fighting spread further and further, with its chaotic influence no longer limited to higher beings, gradually spilling over to the more numerous and fragile beings, who were almost like ants to the Mythical Races.”

“And to halt this war, we Hunters were summoned to this world.”

   

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