The current <Deva> was one of the most powerful <Societies> in <Heaven>, but a long time ago, back when the concept of <Society> was still new, the <Deva> used to be in danger of annihilation. At the time, the <Deva> Celestials were at war against Asura, their old archenemy. Failing to overcome the gap between their and Asura’s power, they eventually lost the war and plummeted. Out of despair, the Celestials tried to scatter, but the Creator Celestial of <Deva> gathered them up instead to pour out their anger to the sky.
The Celestials’ wrath turned into a flame, giving birth to the goddess Durga. Despite her beautiful appearance, she was filled with wrath. In her ten hands were numerous relics from many <Deva> Celestials.
Shiva’s trident, Vishnu’s qi, Agni’s javelin, Vayu’s bow, Varuna’s rope, Indra’s thunder… With those weapons, Durga waged war with Asura alone and chopped off Asura King Mahisha’s head, bringing victory to <Deva>. After the war, Durga became the notorious gatekeeper and vanguard of <Deva> in <Heaven>.
Kali was Durga’s only daughter. With her mother’s wrath bequeathed to her, Kali unleashed destruction and massacre, ultimately becoming notoriously known for drinking her enemies’ blood. Whenever she took out a demon, she always drank their blood and celebrated her victory.
However, Kali was also an ascetic that cultivated herself in a remote place when she was not at war. Constant destruction signified dynamic energy, and the sprouts in the ruins symbolized life. Just like how the warm spring came after the cold winter, death and life were not polar opposites of each other. Rather, they belonged to the flow of nature, circulating dynamic energy in it. The same went for destruction and creation.
Kali was the incarnation of such flows and cycles. Despite her fearsome divine name, ‘Goddess of Massacre and Destruction,’ she always dreamed of creating new lives. As a result, the Divine Tree Shindansu was born.
Upon growing older, Kali left <Deva> and went into seclusion because she hated how <Deva> was turning political.
* * *
A long time after her seclusion, the ‘Divine Twilight’ met Kali. At the time, people still knew the notorious Durga, but the nasty rumors about Kali had disappeared by then.
Coincidentally hearing a rumor about the great ascetic in Himavat the snow mountain, the ‘Divine Twilight’ paid the are a visit. From the entrance to the ridge, the ascetics that followed Kali lined up. The ‘Divine Twilight’ beat them one after another.
Upon reaching the peak, which was covered with everlasting snow, he finally met Kali. An unfathomably tall and green tree stood where Kali was meditating in the lotus position. None of the scene’s elements matched, but it gave the ‘Divine Twilight’ an idea of who Kali was.
“What do you wish to gain?” Kali asked in their first encounter, but the question seemed random.
Yet, without hesitation, the ‘Divine Twilight’ answered, “Victories.”
“What victories?”
“Absolute ones.”
“What are those victories for?”
“I fight and win. Is there a problem with that?” The ‘Divine Twilight’ tilted his head.
Kali smiled gently as she continued.
“No, there isn’t.”
After the conversation, the ‘Divine Twilight’ sparred with Kali and lost, but that didn’t stop the ‘Divine Twilight.’ They sparred countless more times. After quite a long while, the ‘Divine Twilight’ finally managed to win against her for the first time. It was only by an inch, however, so he wasn’t sure he could call it a victory. It could have just been a coincidence.
Nevertheless, Kali smiled contentedly as she said, “That’s amazing.”
The ‘Divine Twilight’ continued to spar against Kali, turning his victory into a winning streak. The inch became a centimeter, the centimeter turned into a millimeter… The gap between Kali and the ‘Divine Twilight’ widened so much that Kali eventually no longer managed to catch up.
“You’re definitely worthy enough to talk about victories.”
Rather than getting angry for being defeated, Kali was happy. Her reaction was the total opposite of when the ‘Divine Twilight’ lost, so in his eyes, Kali was more mature than he was. For the first time, the ‘Divine Twilight’ realized she was looking far beyond what he couldn’t imagine. Hence, he thought of befriending her.
* * *
While Lee Chang-Sun’s old memory in Arcadia was filled with Gramps and Ithaca, the old memory of the ‘Divine Twilight’ began with his first encounter with Kali, whom Chang-Sun missed.
Now, the Elfin Root looked like her.
[The Celestial ‘Geminus-α’ makes it known how unpleasant he feels right now!]
[The Celestial ‘Geminus-β’ frowns deeply!]
…
[Many <Heaven> Celestials are surprised by your achievements!]
[Unlocked a great achievement!]
“Celestial fragment gatherer.”
Reward: Control +20. Leadership +30. Enhancement of the Skill ‘Stigma.’
Having played the most active role in killing Kali, the ‘Gemini’ reacted very badly.
Meanwhile, Chang-Sun’s eyes lost focus. “You…!”
The Elfin Root—no, Kali put her index finger against her lip and quietly shushed him. Judging from her uncharacteristically mischievous wink, it seemed she was telling Chang-Sun to be careful.
After finally realizing what she meant, Chang-Sun chuckled. Tiamat and Pabilsag were here, and many Celestials were watching them through their Channelings. Hence, she was telling him to consider their presence before she and Chang-Sun started talking. It seemed her thoughtful nature hadn’t changed.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Chang-Sun told Tiamat and Pabilsag. He then utilized his <Darkness>.
The world around Chang-Sun and Kali darkened, separating them from the outside world.
[The space has been separated!]
[You have conjured your mind palace.]
[All the Channelings connected to the outside world have been temporarily disconnected.]
「You haven’t even reached level 100 yet to <Exuviate>, yet you can already create a mind palace? I can’t even begin to fathom how freakishly strong you’re trying to become again.」
“I’ve already gone down this path before, so it’s easy to do it again,” Chang-Sun replied.
Kali swayed her index finger from side to side.
「That’s not it. Countless Celestials have plummeted throughout the long history of the universe, but nearly nobody managed to rise again afterward. If I have to pick one… maybe Satan?」
Kali smirked.
「No, I can add one more. I rose back up as well, after all.」
Her playful voice made Chang-Sun realize that he was wrong about Kali being the same as before. Kali had changed, becoming more relaxed. She had always acted like a stoic ascetic, but she had loosened up a lot now. Did resurrecting give her a realization the same way Chang-Sun’s thoughts deepened when he resurrected in the <Underworld>?
「Thank you, Twilight. I woke up because of you.」Kali smiled gently.
Chang-Sun asked, “Elfin was the one who absorbed your Divinity, so how come you’re the one who woke up?”
「I am my children, and my children are me. Regardless of the soil, I can wake up any time if I get to properly take root.」
Moodoo had said that the Elfin could become a root. The tree that grew up through propagation was genetically the same as its parent tree, which was why the Elfin was now displaying Kali’s personality. However, Chang-Sun couldn’t help wondering, ‘What if Kali’s other priests can also become roots like the Elfin…?’
Chang-Sun stopped his own train of thought.
「I know what you’re thinking. Becoming a root isn’t easy. The quality of the soil is very important for a tree to grow up.」
“… I don’t know what you’re talking about, but there is something I have been wanting to say to you guys if I get to meet you all again.”
「What is it?」
“Why did you do that?” Chang-Sun clenched his teeth and sharply stared at Kali.
Despite noticing Chang-Sun’s anger, Kali still smiled, making him even madder.
“Why in the world did you do that? You knew you couldn’t win that fight! I was also the one who left you all, so why—!” Chang-Sun shouted.
「Because we’re friends.」Kali interrupted, rendering Chang-Sun speechless.「Do I need any other reason?」
Before Chang-Sun could argue back…
『I don’t know how you two are acquainted, and I apologize to interrupt your reunion…』
… Tiamat delivered a message to Chang-Sun’s mind palace, making Chang-Sun and Kali look up.
『... but the <Star Grave> guards are now right behind us.』
The ceiling of Chang-Sun’s mind palace grew blurry, and an image showed up. Uriel of <Maleakhe> was flying toward them with his subordinate angels, his eyes burning with anger. It seemed this incident had made Uriel furious.
『The [Chunjun Sword] and the Gray Elves are technically still assets of the <Star Auction> committees until a buyer pays for them. Considering we took all of those and ran away, there’s really nothing we can say if they put us on the wanted list.』
For some reason, Tiamat sounded as if she was having fun.
『Of course, the terrorists earlier started all this, and I’m sure the authorities will take the circumstances into account to some extent… Still, we won’t be able to avoid being charged with theft and misappropriation.』
“I’m sure I can count on your help,” Chang-Sun said.
『For free?』 Tiamat asked.
“<Muspelheim> and <Nammu> are in the same boat, aren’t they? If you help your ally, I’ll make sure to repay the favor.”
『Our marriage can further solidify our alliance.』
“I”m sure an alliance made of trust is more reliable than one that stemmed from deals,” Chang-Sun said calmly.
『You’re really smooth at turning down women. Hahahaha.』
Tiamat’s laughter echoed throughout the cave. It was loud enough to shake his mind palace, which was made from <Darkness>. That alone showed how high her divine class was.
『Fine. I promised to help you, so I’ll see this through.』
“Thank you.” Chang-Sun slightly bowed.
『Stil, keep in mind that my offer is still on the table. You know, the more unreachable one is, the more tempting it is.』
[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ smiles coquettishly at you!]
“Phew!” Chang-Sun sighed.
Although he had gained a very trustworthy ally, he had a feeling that he had set foot in an inescapable swamp.
* * *
On Earth, Republic of Korea, Seoul…
… it was already past 11 P.M., but some employees of the WPCFF’s Korean office in Jongno[ref]A region in Korea./ref] were still working overtime.
‘… I want to cry.’ Jin Seok-Tae turned miserable as he looked at the clock, which cruelly kept rotating.
He attended a blind date set up by his friend a week ago and was supposed to have their next date today. He was so excited that he bought and put on new clothes. Why did the WPCFF have to declare a state of emergency today, five minutes before the end of his shift?
“What do you think about this?” Cha Ye-Eun, his superior, asked.
Seok-Tae naturally couldn’t tell his superior about his story, considering she only worked all day and pursued her career. Even if he were to tell her about it, she would just say, ‘So you want to quit?’
‘She is an Overlord, an Overlord material… No matter how ferocious the Tyrant is, he’ll be nothing compared to my superior,’ Seok-Tae thought.
“Hey.” Ye-Eun glared at Seok-Tae.
Returning to his senses, Seok-Tae began to think as hard as he could. One wrong answer could leave him with a bullet in his brain.
“You aren’t listening to me, are you?” Ye-Eun asked.
“I-I’m listening!” Seok-Tae answered.
“Then tell me.”
“Pardon…?”
“Tell me what you think.” Ye-Eun crossed her arms and legs. The cigarette in her mouth was burning up quickly, seemingly showing how irritated she was.
Smoking indoors was forbidden… but Ye-Eun never really cared about that rule. If the executives reprimanded her about it, she would simply answer with a resignation letter the next day. She was so irreplaceable in the Council that if she left, the Korean office of WPCFF would have to shut down.
“I-I won’t do it again!” Seok-Tae shouted, standing up straight like a soldier.
If he answered slowly right now, he would really get shot.
“Watch it, okay? Phew! I was asking what you think of this.” Ye-Eun sighed quietly and threw her burned-up cigarette into a paper cup, ruining Seok-Tae’s coffee for good.
However, Seok-Tae couldn’t afford to think about it now because the newspaper articles that Ye-Eun pointed to were very important. They turned the whole world upside down.
<A member of the White Tiger Clan has been crowned as an Overlord!>
<The shocking death of Chico Mendoza, Mexican Hero and Blood Overlord.>
<Who is new Overlord ‘Sword Sky Tiger’ Munseong? >
The Sword Sky Tiger was a first generation Player and the hero who made the White Tiger Clan one of the best Clans in Korea. However, Munseong hadn’t really accomplished anything in the past thirty years, so most people believed that he had retired. On top of that, many experts had evaluated that Munseong wouldn’t be the same skilled swordsman as before.
However, people bore witness to shocking results the moment he held a sword again. Among the ten Overlords, the Blood Overlord was believed to be the third strongest, but Munseong easily defeated him with one attack.
The event made it certain that Munseong had surpassed level 99 and reached level 100, a feat believed to be impossible for humans to accomplish. Taking that into consideration, Munseong now had to be a demigod who had gone through <Exuviation>. A tiger having the potential to become a Celestial in Korea was good news.
Still, Ye-Eun’s eyes turned cold. ‘The problem is that Munseong may be a demonic being.’
The current <Deva> was one of the most powerful <Societies> in <Heaven>, but a long time ago, back when the concept of <Society> was still new, the <Deva> used to be in danger of annihilation. At the time, the <Deva> Celestials were at war against Asura, their old archenemy. Failing to overcome the gap between their and Asura’s power, they eventually lost the war and plummeted. Out of despair, the Celestials tried to scatter, but the Creator Celestial of <Deva> gathered them up instead to pour out their anger to the sky.
The Celestials’ wrath turned into a flame, giving birth to the goddess Durga. Despite her beautiful appearance, she was filled with wrath. In her ten hands were numerous relics from many <Deva> Celestials.
Shiva’s trident, Vishnu’s qi, Agni’s javelin, Vayu’s bow, Varuna’s rope, Indra’s thunder… With those weapons, Durga waged war with Asura alone and chopped off Asura King Mahisha’s head, bringing victory to <Deva>. After the war, Durga became the notorious gatekeeper and vanguard of <Deva> in <Heaven>.
Kali was Durga’s only daughter. With her mother’s wrath bequeathed to her, Kali unleashed destruction and massacre, ultimately becoming notoriously known for drinking her enemies’ blood. Whenever she took out a demon, she always drank their blood and celebrated her victory.
However, Kali was also an ascetic that cultivated herself in a remote place when she was not at war. Constant destruction signified dynamic energy, and the sprouts in the ruins symbolized life. Just like how the warm spring came after the cold winter, death and life were not polar opposites of each other. Rather, they belonged to the flow of nature, circulating dynamic energy in it. The same went for destruction and creation.
Kali was the incarnation of such flows and cycles. Despite her fearsome divine name, ‘Goddess of Massacre and Destruction,’ she always dreamed of creating new lives. As a result, the Divine Tree Shindansu was born.
Upon growing older, Kali left <Deva> and went into seclusion because she hated how <Deva> was turning political.
* * *
A long time after her seclusion, the ‘Divine Twilight’ met Kali. At the time, people still knew the notorious Durga, but the nasty rumors about Kali had disappeared by then.
Coincidentally hearing a rumor about the great ascetic in Himavat the snow mountain, the ‘Divine Twilight’ paid the are a visit. From the entrance to the ridge, the ascetics that followed Kali lined up. The ‘Divine Twilight’ beat them one after another.
Upon reaching the peak, which was covered with everlasting snow, he finally met Kali. An unfathomably tall and green tree stood where Kali was meditating in the lotus position. None of the scene’s elements matched, but it gave the ‘Divine Twilight’ an idea of who Kali was.
“What do you wish to gain?” Kali asked in their first encounter, but the question seemed random.
Yet, without hesitation, the ‘Divine Twilight’ answered, “Victories.”
“What victories?”
“Absolute ones.”
“What are those victories for?”
“I fight and win. Is there a problem with that?” The ‘Divine Twilight’ tilted his head.
Kali smiled gently as she continued.
“No, there isn’t.”
After the conversation, the ‘Divine Twilight’ sparred with Kali and lost, but that didn’t stop the ‘Divine Twilight.’ They sparred countless more times. After quite a long while, the ‘Divine Twilight’ finally managed to win against her for the first time. It was only by an inch, however, so he wasn’t sure he could call it a victory. It could have just been a coincidence.
Nevertheless, Kali smiled contentedly as she said, “That’s amazing.”
The ‘Divine Twilight’ continued to spar against Kali, turning his victory into a winning streak. The inch became a centimeter, the centimeter turned into a millimeter… The gap between Kali and the ‘Divine Twilight’ widened so much that Kali eventually no longer managed to catch up.
“You’re definitely worthy enough to talk about victories.”
Rather than getting angry for being defeated, Kali was happy. Her reaction was the total opposite of when the ‘Divine Twilight’ lost, so in his eyes, Kali was more mature than he was. For the first time, the ‘Divine Twilight’ realized she was looking far beyond what he couldn’t imagine. Hence, he thought of befriending her.
* * *
While Lee Chang-Sun’s old memory in Arcadia was filled with Gramps and Ithaca, the old memory of the ‘Divine Twilight’ began with his first encounter with Kali, whom Chang-Sun missed.
Now, the Elfin Root looked like her.
[The Celestial ‘Geminus-α’ makes it known how unpleasant he feels right now!]
[The Celestial ‘Geminus-β’ frowns deeply!]
…
[Many <Heaven> Celestials are surprised by your achievements!]
[Unlocked a great achievement!]
“Celestial fragment gatherer.”
Reward: Control +20. Leadership +30. Enhancement of the Skill ‘Stigma.’
Having played the most active role in killing Kali, the ‘Gemini’ reacted very badly.
Meanwhile, Chang-Sun’s eyes lost focus. “You…!”
The Elfin Root—no, Kali put her index finger against her lip and quietly shushed him. Judging from her uncharacteristically mischievous wink, it seemed she was telling Chang-Sun to be careful.
After finally realizing what she meant, Chang-Sun chuckled. Tiamat and Pabilsag were here, and many Celestials were watching them through their Channelings. Hence, she was telling him to consider their presence before she and Chang-Sun started talking. It seemed her thoughtful nature hadn’t changed.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Chang-Sun told Tiamat and Pabilsag. He then utilized his <Darkness>.
The world around Chang-Sun and Kali darkened, separating them from the outside world.
[The space has been separated!]
[You have conjured your mind palace.]
[All the Channelings connected to the outside world have been temporarily disconnected.]
「You haven’t even reached level 100 yet to <Exuviate>, yet you can already create a mind palace? I can’t even begin to fathom how freakishly strong you’re trying to become again.」
“I’ve already gone down this path before, so it’s easy to do it again,” Chang-Sun replied.
Kali swayed her index finger from side to side.
「That’s not it. Countless Celestials have plummeted throughout the long history of the universe, but nearly nobody managed to rise again afterward. If I have to pick one… maybe Satan?」
Kali smirked.
「No, I can add one more. I rose back up as well, after all.」
Her playful voice made Chang-Sun realize that he was wrong about Kali being the same as before. Kali had changed, becoming more relaxed. She had always acted like a stoic ascetic, but she had loosened up a lot now. Did resurrecting give her a realization the same way Chang-Sun’s thoughts deepened when he resurrected in the <Underworld>?
「Thank you, Twilight. I woke up because of you.」Kali smiled gently.
Chang-Sun asked, “Elfin was the one who absorbed your Divinity, so how come you’re the one who woke up?”
「I am my children, and my children are me. Regardless of the soil, I can wake up any time if I get to properly take root.」
Moodoo had said that the Elfin could become a root. The tree that grew up through propagation was genetically the same as its parent tree, which was why the Elfin was now displaying Kali’s personality. However, Chang-Sun couldn’t help wondering, ‘What if Kali’s other priests can also become roots like the Elfin…?’
Chang-Sun stopped his own train of thought.
「I know what you’re thinking. Becoming a root isn’t easy. The quality of the soil is very important for a tree to grow up.」
“… I don’t know what you’re talking about, but there is something I have been wanting to say to you guys if I get to meet you all again.”
「What is it?」
“Why did you do that?” Chang-Sun clenched his teeth and sharply stared at Kali.
Despite noticing Chang-Sun’s anger, Kali still smiled, making him even madder.
“Why in the world did you do that? You knew you couldn’t win that fight! I was also the one who left you all, so why—!” Chang-Sun shouted.
「Because we’re friends.」Kali interrupted, rendering Chang-Sun speechless.「Do I need any other reason?」
Before Chang-Sun could argue back…
『I don’t know how you two are acquainted, and I apologize to interrupt your reunion…』
… Tiamat delivered a message to Chang-Sun’s mind palace, making Chang-Sun and Kali look up.
『... but the <Star Grave> guards are now right behind us.』
The ceiling of Chang-Sun’s mind palace grew blurry, and an image showed up. Uriel of <Maleakhe> was flying toward them with his subordinate angels, his eyes burning with anger. It seemed this incident had made Uriel furious.
『The [Chunjun Sword] and the Gray Elves are technically still assets of the <Star Auction> committees until a buyer pays for them. Considering we took all of those and ran away, there’s really nothing we can say if they put us on the wanted list.』
For some reason, Tiamat sounded as if she was having fun.
『Of course, the terrorists earlier started all this, and I’m sure the authorities will take the circumstances into account to some extent… Still, we won’t be able to avoid being charged with theft and misappropriation.』
“I’m sure I can count on your help,” Chang-Sun said.
『For free?』 Tiamat asked.
“<Muspelheim> and <Nammu> are in the same boat, aren’t they? If you help your ally, I’ll make sure to repay the favor.”
『Our marriage can further solidify our alliance.』
“I”m sure an alliance made of trust is more reliable than one that stemmed from deals,” Chang-Sun said calmly.
『You’re really smooth at turning down women. Hahahaha.』
Tiamat’s laughter echoed throughout the cave. It was loud enough to shake his mind palace, which was made from <Darkness>. That alone showed how high her divine class was.
『Fine. I promised to help you, so I’ll see this through.』
“Thank you.” Chang-Sun slightly bowed.
『Stil, keep in mind that my offer is still on the table. You know, the more unreachable one is, the more tempting it is.』
[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ smiles coquettishly at you!]
“Phew!” Chang-Sun sighed.
Although he had gained a very trustworthy ally, he had a feeling that he had set foot in an inescapable swamp.
* * *
On Earth, Republic of Korea, Seoul…
… it was already past 11 P.M., but some employees of the WPCFF’s Korean office in Jongno[ref]A region in Korea./ref] were still working overtime.
‘… I want to cry.’ Jin Seok-Tae turned miserable as he looked at the clock, which cruelly kept rotating.
He attended a blind date set up by his friend a week ago and was supposed to have their next date today. He was so excited that he bought and put on new clothes. Why did the WPCFF have to declare a state of emergency today, five minutes before the end of his shift?
“What do you think about this?” Cha Ye-Eun, his superior, asked.
Seok-Tae naturally couldn’t tell his superior about his story, considering she only worked all day and pursued her career. Even if he were to tell her about it, she would just say, ‘So you want to quit?’
‘She is an Overlord, an Overlord material… No matter how ferocious the Tyrant is, he’ll be nothing compared to my superior,’ Seok-Tae thought.
“Hey.” Ye-Eun glared at Seok-Tae.
Returning to his senses, Seok-Tae began to think as hard as he could. One wrong answer could leave him with a bullet in his brain.
“You aren’t listening to me, are you?” Ye-Eun asked.
“I-I’m listening!” Seok-Tae answered.
“Then tell me.”
“Pardon…?”
“Tell me what you think.” Ye-Eun crossed her arms and legs. The cigarette in her mouth was burning up quickly, seemingly showing how irritated she was.
Smoking indoors was forbidden… but Ye-Eun never really cared about that rule. If the executives reprimanded her about it, she would simply answer with a resignation letter the next day. She was so irreplaceable in the Council that if she left, the Korean office of WPCFF would have to shut down.
“I-I won’t do it again!” Seok-Tae shouted, standing up straight like a soldier.
If he answered slowly right now, he would really get shot.
“Watch it, okay? Phew! I was asking what you think of this.” Ye-Eun sighed quietly and threw her burned-up cigarette into a paper cup, ruining Seok-Tae’s coffee for good.
However, Seok-Tae couldn’t afford to think about it now because the newspaper articles that Ye-Eun pointed to were very important. They turned the whole world upside down.
<A member of the White Tiger Clan has been crowned as an Overlord!>
<The shocking death of Chico Mendoza, Mexican Hero and Blood Overlord.>
<Who is new Overlord ‘Sword Sky Tiger’ Munseong? >
The Sword Sky Tiger was a first generation Player and the hero who made the White Tiger Clan one of the best Clans in Korea. However, Munseong hadn’t really accomplished anything in the past thirty years, so most people believed that he had retired. On top of that, many experts had evaluated that Munseong wouldn’t be the same skilled swordsman as before.
However, people bore witness to shocking results the moment he held a sword again. Among the ten Overlords, the Blood Overlord was believed to be the third strongest, but Munseong easily defeated him with one attack.
The event made it certain that Munseong had surpassed level 99 and reached level 100, a feat believed to be impossible for humans to accomplish. Taking that into consideration, Munseong now had to be a demigod who had gone through <Exuviation>. A tiger having the potential to become a Celestial in Korea was good news.
Still, Ye-Eun’s eyes turned cold. ‘The problem is that Munseong may be a demonic being.’
