In a forest, a boy holding onto a smooth black staff with golden inlay on it stood atop a field of grass, surrounded by the watching eyes and darting flights of nearby birds. The sun’s rays pierced through the cracks in the canopy above to shine on his body, making his gentle appearance even warmer.

  The serene atmosphere and the handsome boy made for quite a picturesque scene, but unlike his calm expression, Roel was actually in a state of shock.

  “Peytra? Is that you?”


  “Yes, it’s me. It has been a while. Are you still faring well?”


  “Well…… I don’t think you can exactly say that I’m faring well.”


  Listening to Peytra’s cheery question, Roel looked at his own body with a helpless expression. It had already been a week since he had left the Witness State, but his condition had barely improved at all. While he hadn’t said much about it, the truth was that he was extremely concerned.

  That being said, that was not what he was most concerned about at the moment.

  “Peytra, it’s rare to see you coming out. Did something happen?”


  “Mm. I sensed a familiar aura in the vicinity, so I came out to take a look. I didn’t expect to see something like that.”


  Peytra’s voice carried a hint of reminiscence and nostalgia. Roel could sense that her gaze was directed toward the staff in his grip. Intuiting that there might be some sort of relation between the Nine-headed Serpent and the World Snake, he quickly inquired about the matter.

  “Strictly speaking, the Nine-headed Serpent can be considered as my progeny. All snakes in this world are my descendants. However, unlike us, saint beasts, they are demonic beasts devoid of Origin Attributes. The Nine-headed Serpent is powerful, but it carries no spirit or sentience. It can only obey its primal instincts…… I was the one who killed it.”


  “Ah?”


  Peytra’s last few words caught Roel off guard. She went on to relate a tale dating back to the ancient era.

  It was a story about a war between two factions amongst the saint beasts, a conflict over Origin Attributes between the first indigenous population of the world Sia had created. Even a being as ancient and esteemed as Peytra was embroiled in the conflict and became the representative of the Origin Attribute Faction.

  The opposing Primal Faction wanted to stay true to their primal instincts, pursuing greater strength and ferality. The representative of the snakes in that faction was the Nine-headed Serpent.

  It was a major and tense conflict that could be described with the word ‘irreconcilable’, for, to some extent, it concerned their loyalty toward Sia.

  Similar to how higher level transcendents could exert influence over lower level transcendents of the same Origin Attribute, the same rules applied in the ancient era too. There was only one difference here—all Origin Attributes could be traced back to Sia. In other words, as long as one decided to adopt an Origin Attribute in the Ancient Era, there was no way to circumvent Sia.

  However, unlike other malevolent ancient gods, the Genesis Goddess Sia didn’t use her powers to exert control over her children. Instead, she bestowed blessings upon them.

  “She bestowed upon the ignorant wisdom to interpret the world around them and upon the weak strength to change their fate. Through the means known as Origin Attribute, Sia has blessed countless beings. She’s a benevolent mother, which is why we respectfully address her as the Genesis Mother Goddess.”


  Roel nodded to Peytra’s words.

  There was a reason why Sia could receive the acknowledgment and respect of all races, and the pragmatic reason behind that was that there was something tangible to be gained out of her.

  In the ancient era, before the formation of civilizations, all races were more pragmatic in nature. It wasn’t empty words that would win them over; it was tangible benefits. Talking about hopes and dreams wouldn’t convince anyone, not even the giants who weren’t particularly known for their intelligence.

  Take Grandar for example, even though he looked a little doltish at times, that was simply because he wasn’t good with words. If one were to attempt to hoodwink him, that huge fellow wouldn’t hesitate to use his fists to demonstrate how giants dealt with those who tried to make a fool out of them.

  To put it simply, the factional war amongst the saint beasts was basically a group of monsters who no longer wanted to play by Sia’s rules any longer. Through the evolution of their primal instincts, they gradually strayed away from Sia’s control. Unfortunately, without the Origin Attribute to control their chaotic mana, they became violent and feral, wreaking havoc everywhere.

  In the end, everything escalated into an all-out war. As the Mother Goddess and Queen of Saint Beasts, Peytra participated in the war, fought against the Nine-headed Serpent, and killed it.

  “.…… The war was tragic. It is not a pleasant memory to recall.”


  “My apologies, I was unaware.”


  After listening to Peytra’s story, Roel observed the staff in his hands with discomfort. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to probe carefully.

  “Peytra, this staff was made out of the Nine-headed Serpent’s carcass. Are you…… angry?”


  “Hm? Haha, you’re thinking too much. It’s already dead anyway; it’s meaningless to fuss over a carcass. Besides, don’t you humans often make magic tools out of the bones of your brethren as well?”


  “Ah? T-this……”


  Roel found himself at a loss for words. In the current human world, making magic tools out of human bodies was already considered a taboo act. Anyone who tried to carry a human head into town would surely be arrested right away and grilled for it.

  As human civilization developed, more and more materials that could be used to craft magic tools were being uncovered everyday. It was no longer necessary to use human bones. However, Roel wasn’t planning on correcting Peytra’s misconception. He was glad enough that she hadn’t been offended by the staff.

  However, there was one thing he didn’t expect.

  “This is good as well. With this equipment, it’ll be much easier for me to help you.”


  “Ah?”


  “My true body is simply too huge. If you wish to manifest it using mana in the present reality, you would have to be at Origin Level 3 at the bare minimum. However, it’s a different matter now that you have that staff on hand,” said Peytra with a slightly happy tone.

  All of a sudden, Roel suddenly emanated a dusky light as a familiar surge of mana warmed up his body. Following that, the top end of the Nine-headed Serpent Staff morphed into a headpiece of a small golden snake.

  It was an unusual golden snake that looked as beautiful as the jewels buried deep in the ground. It wasn’t large—compared to Peytra’s mountain-like body, it was incredibly small—but Roel could sense that the mana emanated by the golden snake was identical to the actual World Snake. Its eyes still carried the same enigmatic and authoritative disposition.

  Roel was struck dumb by the golden snake staring at him, and he only snapped out of it when he suddenly received a notification from the System.

  【Nine-headed Serpent Staff (Pinnacle)

  Under the infusion of the ancient Earth Goddess, the vile intention harnessed within the staff has been cleansed. The will of the mother of all snakes is an absolute order, representing the greatest glory and honor.

  Stone Gaze

  The manifestation of the Earth Goddess’s authority, a miracle that should only have existed in the ancient era. It can be activated using mana and cast through the snake eyes of the staff. The potency of the spell depends on the mana channeled and channeling duration.

  Restriction: Once every three days】


  “!”


  Upon seeing the changes in the details of his new weapon, Roel knew that he had struck the lottery. The Nine-headed Serpent Staff was indeed powerful even before, but he wasn’t fully satisfied with ‘Ruler of Venomous Beasts’ or ‘Relentless Regeneration’.

  The venom of the Nine-headed Serpent was certainly something to be feared, but it wasn’t Roel’s field of specialty, and considering his identity, it wouldn’t reflect well on him either.

  Ultimately, the usage of poison was a minor path, which was why it had been looked down upon by other mainstream transcendent abilities. It shouldn’t be a major focus of one’s development as a transcendent. Besides, it was unseemly for a successor of a noble house with over a thousand years of history behind it to be dabbling in poison. If he had a choice, he would have preferred an alternative method.

  As for Relentless Regeneration, it was an ability with both offensive and defensive usages. He could morph his staff into the Nine-headed Serpent to block attacks, as well to order it to attack his enemies. However, it was likely to have a severe range limit. The further he tried to reach out, the less powerful his attack would be.

  However, these issues had been resolved with the current changes.

  Stone Gaze was an ability unique to the Primordial Earth Goddess, existing only in the myths. Roel had used it once before, and it had completely wrecked Puppetmaster Douglas, an Origin Level 2 transcendent. It was definitely one of the spells Roel coveted, and his wish was finally being fulfilled.

  It did have severe usage restrictions, such as having to aim the snake eyes on the staff carefully and the long cooldown period of three days, but if one were to consider the incredible potency of the spell and the fact that it had no side effects at all, these were all acceptable. In any case, Roel was satisfied with the outcome.

  “How is it? The staff should have gained the Stone Gaze spell after receiving my blessing, right? You consider it as a small gift from me.”


  The beautiful golden snake lay lazily beneath the sun as it spoke with a familiar, euphonic voice. After the initial hype, Roel quickly reined in his emotions and started inquiring about Peytra’s current situation.

  This was the first time Peytra was communicating with him ever since leaving the Witness State, but his usual chat buddy, Grandar, was still nowhere to be seen. He figured it could be that his current condition was unable to endure a connection with Grandar, but nevertheless, he still missed his old friend.

  “I was able to come out due to your equipment serving as a medium, but that giant isn’t as lucky. He’s probably still feeling troubled about it in his territory.”


  “If I recall correctly, the two of you are able to communicate with one another, right? Did Grandar say anything?”


  Thinking of that motherly giant who liked to worry about everything, Roel asked. Unexpectedly, Peytra suddenly fell silent.

  “.…… He did say something, but it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s already too late.”


  “What does that mean?”


  “That giant told you not to touch that ice monster and absorb its power.”


  “.……”


  Bro, you’re really a little late here.

  Roel smacked his forehead and sighed deeply. Then, he turned to Peytra and asked.

  “Peytra, is there anything you want to tell me then?”


  “Me? I don’t think so. Most of the matters have been resolved properly…… Speaking of which, how far have you progressed with that young lady?”


  The golden snake suddenly recalled something, and it immediately straightened its body as it asked excitedly.

  “Do you need a blessing for procreation?”