After the Æsir and the Spirit Race signed the Pact of Racial Union…
Doubt began to shadow the hope of the other races, especially humans. Why would such a supreme being agree to the pact without seeking any personal gain?
A being of such might could wipe out all life with just a few words.
So why accept the pact? Suspicion grew, spreading like wildfire.
Eventually, the humans' patience ran out. Even if it meant their extinction, they decided to ask him directly.
His answer was simple:
"Huh? I just want to. Do I need a reason?"
They were stunned—by the simplicity of his answer, and the unwavering pride in his voice.
It is said that back then, the concept of a "Virtue" didn't even exist.
What is now called the Virtue rank was simply a part of the Supreme Sovereignty rank.
But in that moment, when the other races learned his reasoning…
They decided to create a new rank to honor his power and purity, the one who saved their world.
They named it Virtue, and titled him Virtue of Pride, the first Virtue in history.
…
'Him again? Why does his name haunt every step I take in this cursed world?!'
"So what was in that agreement?"
"Well, it was an unusual one…"
The agreement had two primary terms:
First: The Æsir would bond with a Spirit Race individual, and their child would be protected by the blood of the spirits after he left this world.
Second: The Æsir would erase the existence of the Eternal Demon and destroy the demonic armies, in exchange for claiming an entire continent as his own.
Out of sheer boredom, he decided to carry out the second clause first.
They say he erased the Eternal Demon in five minutes, with such destructive power that an entire continent vanished.
As for the demonic armies, they were obliterated just by the residual energy of his attack.
The few surviving demonic foot soldiers fled to the Dark Continent and lived hidden in its shadows, away from the claws of the other races.
"You mean the so-called 'Ancient Demons' today are just the descendants of those weak escapees?"
"Exactly. They earned that name just because they carry faint traces of dragon blood."
Even though the Æsir obliterated the demons, shocking the world with his power…
He still held the wedding with the Spirit maiden.
Fifty years of lethal gestation later, a new race was born into the universe—
[The Fairy Race]
The Æsir's first children were twelve: six boys and six girls. All were born blessed by natural mana and spirit grace, carrying both the spirits' control over mana and the Aesir's invincible blood.
As they grew, strange phenomena began to occur.
Mana began to vanish from the world, and the cause was, unsurprisingly, the fairies.
With their overwhelming natural power, they began to absorb all the mana in the world. With the Æsir's blood in them, they became infinite vortexes.
The races began to complain—and rightfully so. Mana is the foundation of everything. Without it, extinction was inevitable.
'I disagree. I've seen worlds without mana, but I can't deny that no world can survive without some form of energy.'
The Æsir had the solution: he created a dimension just for them.
"Wait—what did you just say!?"
"What?"
"Did you say he opened a dimension?!"
"Yes. And I know which one you're thinking of."
"Are you joking?! If we consider continents make up a world, and multiple worlds make up a Domain, then a dimension holds multiple Domains! And there are only 33 known dimensions in the entire universe!"
"You've got a misconception there, brat. Those 33 are just the known ones. In truth, there may be hundreds—maybe even millions—of undiscovered dimensions."
"Wait, wait—my brain is melting…
So you're telling me this Æsir opened an unknown dimension just for his kids?!"
"He opened it, yes, but he didn't control the universe's laws. Let me finish the story or get your butt out of my sight."
Although he opened the dimension, only one world within it was secured, wrapped in such dense protections that no one has ever broken through.
He linked that world to this one through a portal known only to the Fairies and the Racial Union.
He taught some of his knowledge to his children and sent them to that world—what was once called the Holy Kingdom, now The Hidden Kingdom—under the protection of the Spirit Race.
Then, the Æsir left the world, leaving behind legendary feats no one else has ever achieved.
That was the beginning of the Virtue System.
Now, every individual who ascends to the Virtue is automatically expelled from this world… to begin the search for the elusive Æsir.
"Hah… Sounds like my goal too."
"You're going to search for him as well?"
"No… I'm going to search for the Ancient Dragon. My life's wish is to lay eyes on him—just once before I die."
"…I see."
You've changed, Master. You're not the apathetic being you once were.
And maybe I've changed too, now that I have a goal… or maybe I'm still the same?
But…
My goal… my wish… my Black Wish…
What is it?
Back to this same question again…
"So… do you know my race now? Or… maybe you do?"
"What?? Are you saying I'm an Æsir too?!"
"Y'know, if I told this story to the ceiling above you, it would believe it was Æsir. How dense is your skull?!"
Impossible…
Impossible…!
Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible—
IMPOSSIBLE!!!
Æsir… fairies…
A forced wish…
Heir…
Saintess…
Fully completed Virtue Paths…
My face twisted with hatred and seething fury. I didn't even notice when I tore my face apart with my own hands…
My eyes turned red from rage…
I won't believe it—no matter what!!!
"What in the actual hell is wrong with you, you deranged lunatic?! Why are you ripping your face off!?"
My master pinned me to the ground with high-grade gravity magic, cracking the obsidian stone beneath me. Then he cast a forced healing and sleeping enchantment.
Even my Supreme Crown's resistance failed before his power.
"I'll… kill… you…"
And I blacked out.
…
Five weeks later…
I opened my eyes, finding myself on a grand, luminous bed.
Definitely Master's room.
Nobody else would love gold and gemstones this obsessively.
"Awake?"
My master suddenly appeared, holding a teacup.
"How long was I out?"
"About five weeks. I had no choice but to put you to sleep, or your face would've turned into a skeleton's."
"This is the second time I've lost control like that… the last time was just recently too."
"Tell me exactly what happened."
I explained everything in painful detail.
After hearing I was an Æsir, a crushing despair devoured my heart…
But this time, the despair overwhelmed even my control over the Path of Despair.
It was also fueled by that cursed Black Curse festering inside me.
I won't lie—this was the first time I truly tasted the bleak horror of despair.
Even the despair under the Dryad's curse felt like child's play in comparison.
I couldn't take it. I wanted to blow up the mana core and end myself—but thankfully, I had lost the link to it.
Instead, I tore into my own flesh out of pure hatred for my own weakness.
"If I reach Virtue rank in this state… I warn you now, the world will witness a demon more terrifying than the Eternal Demon ever was. I swear it on my life."
Master remained silent for a while, gazing at the ceiling.
Minutes passed before he finally spoke.
"Is there no other solution?"
I stared at him seriously. "There is. But it's your call."
"…What is it?"
"…Let me enter the Dragon's Nest."
"Over my dead body!!"
I was done for.