Baharuth Empire,
Ministry of Magic.
Inside a dimly lit study.
The image captured within the recording crystal remained frozen on the climactic moment: the Holy Domain God Lord extinguishing the Lich King with a single, effortless finger.
Fluder Paradyne adjusted his monocle magic lens with trembling fingers.
He examined every detail meticulously, eyes darting from the majestic, radiant figure of the Holy Domain God Lord to the grotesque, crumbling Lich King. Finally his gaze settled on a pale, unassuming figure standing in the corner of the frame.
"Helant… the summoner of the god, and also the one who wielded Ninth-Tier Magic."
He studied Helant's features again and again, scrutinizing bone structure, skin tone, posture. After confirming the man was unmistakably human, Fluder leaned heavily back into his cushioned chair.
His hand rose unconsciously to stroke his long white beard as he drew a deep, shuddering breath.
"Is it truly possible for a human to cast magic beyond the Sixth Tier?"
After more than two centuries devoted to the arcane arts, as the strongest magic caster acknowledged by the surface world, Fluder understood the brutal limits of human potential better than anyone.
To him, anything above Sixth-Tier Magic resembled an ant attempting to scale an endless mountain: no matter how tirelessly it climbed, the summit remained forever out of sight.
When the first reports arrived from the Kingdom's spies, his immediate reaction had been flat disbelief.
How could any human possibly wield Ninth-Tier Magic?
Yet after witnessing the magnificent, overwhelming presence of the Holy Domain God Lord—even through the imperfect medium of a crystal recording—he found himself believing at least halfway.
The divine majesty radiating from that figure shook his very soul. Even the Platinum Dragon Lord he had glimpsed in his youth possessed not one percent of the sheer, oppressive might captured in this image.
Such an existence might indeed shatter human limitations and grant access to forbidden tiers.
Knock, knock.
A soft rap sounded at the study door. A cloaked disciple entered cautiously, cradling an ancient tome in both hands.
"Teacher, this book may contain information about the 'Holy Domain God Lord' you mentioned earlier, but…"
The young man placed the volume respectfully on Fluder's desk. He glanced toward the frozen image in the crystal, then continued as though confirming something to himself. "The text inside is extremely difficult to decipher."
Fluder waved a dismissive hand, signaling his disciple to withdraw.
The illustration within the book that depicted a figure resembling the Holy Domain God Lord felt unfamiliar. He was certain he had never encountered this text before.
Still, he harbored no real doubt. During the frenzied years after reaching the Hero Realm, he had collected magic books with obsessive zeal.
Often he acquired volumes without even glancing inside, simply piling them in his library for disciples to catalog later.
He remembered the disciple's comment: the text was very difficult to decipher.
Fluder could not help but sneer inwardly. After more than two hundred years, what script had he not mastered?
With that confidence, he carefully opened the ancient book.
The volume had been preserved with remarkable care. The moment the cover lifted, a thick, musty scent of sealed earth and decayed parchment rushed into his nostrils.
Yellowed, tattered pages greeted him, edges brittle and withered.
Fluder, who had studied countless ancient texts, judged at a glance that this book carried at least six hundred years of age.
"The Holy Domain God Lord has a six-hundred-year history?"
His brow furrowed deeply. A powerful wave of doubt surged within him.
After all, only six hundred years had passed since the Six Great Gods descended and aided humanity in founding its nations.
If this being had truly appeared that long ago, there was no conceivable reason Fluder would remain ignorant of it.
With questions burning in his mind, he leaned closer to examine the time-eroded handwriting.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
After painstaking effort to decipher the script, Fluder lifted his head, expression faintly awkward.
"What kind of writing is this? Why can I not understand it?!"
His fingers brushed gently over the interconnected strokes. The square-shaped characters bore no resemblance to the alphabetic scripts common across the world. Instead they resembled an obscure hieroglyphic system that had never surfaced in public records.
"If this had happened a few days ago, you would have truly stumped me, but…" Fluder traced a small magic circle over his eyes. Instantly the unfamiliar glyphs became clear and comprehensible. "I recently discovered an obscure spell called 'Textual Comprehension.'"
The spell not only accelerated reading speed but translated any foreign language into his native tongue as smoothly as everyday speech.
It felt practically tailor-made for his endless quest.
A slow smile spread across Fluder's aged face as he resumed reading.
The book took the form of a personal diary. Each entry bore the signature "Decent people write diaries." The name struck him as exceedingly odd. What truly honest person would choose such a self-aggrandizing pseudonym?
The contents unfolded as follows:
[Yggdrasil Calendar Year 2130, May 21st. The world's strongest has been born. The Holy Domain God Lord defeated the World Champion in a single blow and claimed the pinnacle… I never imagined such an idealist could stand at the peak of all Puh-layer (Players).]
[Yggdrasil Calendar Year 2130, July 27th. Jaldabaoth relied on schemes and calculations to unite all demons and ascend as Demon Emperor… However, from my observations, that human-favoring Holy Domain God Lord will inevitably clash with this Demon Emperor… I wonder if he can hold his ground.]
[Yggdrasil Calendar Year 2130, November 7th. Ainz Ooal Gown has mastered nearly all magic and stands at the pinnacle of all magic casters, known as the Sorcerer King… Hah, this year is truly lively. One world welcoming three great powerhouses in a tripartite confrontation… They have already begun expanding their influence. I believe it will not be long before they are fighting tooth and nail.]
He read line by line. The deeper he delved, the more sweat beaded on his forehead. Excitement steadily replaced doubt in his cloudy eyes.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
By the final entries his chest heaved violently. His gaze had turned bloodshot, excitement reaching a fever pitch.
Now, to Fluder, the Holy Domain God Lord had receded in importance.
"The Sorcerer King, who has mastered all magic and stands at the pinnacle of magic casters!"
He could not suppress wild imaginings. In this world, magic could scarcely be measured by tier or quantity alone.
If the contents of this ancient diary proved true, then how profound must the Sorcerer King's wisdom be? How vast his mastery?
With these questions blazing in his mind, Fluder continued turning pages.
The diary's author seemed to record only major events, taking quiet pleasure in chronicling cataclysmic shifts.
[Yggdrasil Calendar Year 2131, April 22nd. Friction began to arise among the three factions.]
[Yggdrasil Calendar Year 2131, August 12th. The idealistic God of the Holy Domain proclaimed human supremacy. His subordinates are almost entirely humans, Elves, Dwarves, and the like. He appears excessively biased toward humans…]
[Yggdrasil Calendar Year 2131, December 7th. Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth acquired the World Item XXXX. Haah, strange. This thing truly cannot be described in words. However, the deterrent power of XXXX is indeed formidable. The demon race, the weakest of the three factions, has thus managed to gain a firm foothold despite being caught between the Sorcerer King and the Holy Domain God Lord.]
[Yggdrasil Calendar Year 2138, January 3rd. For the past few years, the world has been locked in a tripartite confrontation among humans, the demon race, and the Sorcerer King's undead and other races… To be honest, although the Holy Domain God Lord is powerful, He cares too much about humans. If He could harden His heart, the world would have been unified long ago.]
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